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praenomen or throne name nomen or birth name
Ramesses I in hieroglyphs
Era: New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC)

Menpehtyre Ramesses I (also written Ramses and Rameses) was the founding Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 19th dynasty. The dates for his short reign are unclear, but 1306-1304 BC, or 1292-1290 BC are frequently cited.

Originally called Paramessu, he was of non-royal birth, born into a noble family from the Nile delta region, perhaps near the former Hyksos capital of Avaris. He was a career soldier, originally the chief of the archers (a position he inherited from his father, Seti), and ultimately general of the armies. He found favor with Horemheb, the last pharaoh of the tumultuous Eighteenth dynasty, who appointed Ramesses as his vizier. He also served as the High Priest of Amun – as such, he would have played an important role in the restoration of the old religion following the Amarna heresy of a generation earlier, under Akhenaten.

Horemheb himself had been a noblemen from outside the immediate royal family, who rose through the ranks of the Egyptian army to serve as royal advisor and, ultimately, Pharaoh. Having no son of his own to continue his lineage, in the final years of his reign he named Ramesses as his co-regent and, implicitly, his heir.

Already an old man when he was crowned, Ramesses appointed his son, the later pharaoh Seti I, to serve as his co-regent. Seti undertook several military operations – in particular, an attempt to recoup Egypt's lost possessions in Syria. Ramesses appears to have taken charge of domestic matters: most memorably, he completed the second pylon at Karnak Temple, begun under his predecessor.

Ramesses died after a brief reign of 16 Months, and was succeeded by his son, Seti I. His Highest Year date was a Year 2 II Peret day 20 stela from Nubia which ordered the provision of new endowments for the Temple of Buhen. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings. His tomb there, rediscovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817 and designated KV16, is small and gives the impression of having been completed with haste.

At his ascension, Ramesses took a prenomen, or royal name, which is written in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right. Technically transliterated, the name is mn-pḥty-r‘, which is usually realised as Menpehtyre, meaning "Established by the strength of Ra". However, he is better known by his nomen, or personal name. This is transliterated as r‘-ms-sw, and is usually realised as Ramessu or Ramesses, meaning 'Ra bore him'. His Mummy was stolen by grave robbers and brought to North America around 1860 and placed in a Canadian Museum called the the Niagara Museum and Daredevil Hall of Fame. Ramesses I was located next to other curiosities and "freaks of nature" for more than 130 years but was later sold in 1999 to the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His identity was determined through various CT Scans, X-Ray's and Radio-Carbon dating tests. His Mummy was flown back to Egypt on October 24, 2003 with full official honors.

References:

• U.S. Museum to Return Ramesses I Mummy to Egypt
• Ramesses I: The search for the Lost Pharaoh

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