Seti I
19th Dynasty pharaoh, father of Ramesses II
- Reigned
- c. 1290–1279 BCE
- Dynasty
- 19th
- Father
- Ramesses I
- Son
- Ramesses II
- Built
- Temple of Abydos; tomb KV17
Father of Ramesses II, whose temple at Abydos contains the overcarved hieroglyphs behind the 'Abydos helicopter' images.
What is Seti I known for?
Seti I ruled Egypt from about 1290 to 1279 BCE. He campaigned in Palestine and Syria, fought the Hittites, reopened mines and quarries, and continued the great hypostyle hall at Karnak. Britannica says many scholars consider him the greatest king of the 19th Dynasty.
His memorial temple at Abydos is famous for finely carved, still-colored reliefs and for the Abydos King List. One ceiling beam carries an inscription of Seti's titles that was later filled with plaster and recarved with titles of his son Ramesses II. As the plaster fell away, the two sets of hieroglyphs overlapped, producing shapes that online images present as a helicopter and other machines. Egyptologists explain it as a palimpsest.
His Abydos temple holds the recarved hieroglyphs behind the 'helicopter' claim.
Mentioned on these pages
- PersonGaston Maspero
- PersonRamesses II
- PlaceAbydos
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Seti I'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Helicopter hieroglyphs'Reference
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