General Notes

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Seti I (reigned 1291-1279 BC), ancient Egyptian king, second ruler of the 19th Dynasty, the son and successor of King Ramses I (ruled 1293-1291 BC). From 1292 BC he ruled as coregent with his father for a short time. He tried to recover some Syrian possessions Egypt had lost during the internal dissensions at the close of the 18th Dynasty. Later in his reign, Seti conquered Palestine, defended his western frontier against the Libyans, and fought against the Hittites. Seti's magnificent tomb in the Valley of the Kings, near Thebes, and his temple at Abydos are impressive architectural monuments. His mummy was found in 1881 at Dayr al Bahrì.
Source: "Seti I," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Valley of the Kings, burial site used by Egyptian rulers of the New Kingdom period (1570-1070 BC). It is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the modern town of Luxor. Although only a few kilometers west of the riverbank, the valley is concealed by high cliffs and a long, narrow, and winding entranceway. Before the New Kingdom period, the kings of Egypt had built mortuary complexes consisting of pyramid-tombs and accompanying temples. In the 18th Dynasty, King Amenhotep I (reigned 1551-1524 BC) departed from tradition, building his temple closer to the riverbank and concealing his tomb farther north and west, in the cliffs. His successors continued this practice of separation, but they located their tombs within the valley. In all likelihood this move was an attempt to circumvent robbing of the royal tombs. Although no longer marked by a pyramid constructed of millions of carved blocks, the tombs stand below a pyramidal mountain called today The Horn (Arabic Al Qurn).
Thirty-four tombs have been discovered at this site, beginning with that of Seti I, which was found by the Italian explorer G. B. Belzoni in 1817. The actual body of Seti, along with 39 other royal mummies that had been moved from their original resting places, were discovered in one great burial chamber on the Nile side of the cliffs in 1881. Most of the tombs were carved deep into solid bedrock and contain a multitude of rooms with carved and painted hieroglyphic texts and magical and symbolic scenes. The last tomb discovered (1922), that of Tutankhamen of the 18th Dynasty, was the only one to survive wholesale looting in ancient times. Although robbed twice, the tomb still contained more than 5000 items buried with the young king. Except for the wife of Thutmose II, Hatshepsut, who was a ruler in her own right, royal wives were buried several kilometers south in the Valley of the Queens.
Contributed By:
David Peter Silverman
Source: "Valley of the Kings," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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The second king of the 19th Dynasty was the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre. Like his father before him, Seti was a good military leader. On a campaign in Asia, Seti took three divisions of 60,000 men each into battle. He reoccupied Egyptian posts and garrisoned cities in the Syrian territory. He plundered Palestine and brought Damascus back into Egyptian control. He reconciled with the Hittites who were becoming the most powerful state in the region. Seti I and his heir, Ramesses II campaigned against Kadesh. In Karnak he completed his father's plan by converting the court between the second and third pylons into a vast hypostyle hall. He built his vast mortuary complex at Abydos. In Thebes, he built his tomb, located in the Valley of the Kings. Cut 300 feet into the cliffs, it was the largest tomb in the area. Buried with him were over 700 Shabti. These were carved stone or wooden figures that were to accompany him to the afterlife to comply with the requests from the gods. His tomb in the Valley of the Kings was vandalized and his body was relocated to Deir el Bahri.
Source: www.touregypt.net