Horemheb had no
heir, so the end of his reign also saw the end of the 18th dynasty. The first pharaoh of
the 19th dynasty, Ramesses I (c. 1293 - 1291), had been Horemheb's friend
and vizier before the latter's death, and was an old man when he ascended to the throne.
His tomb (KV16, rediscovered in October 1817) was small, and his mummy has never been
identified.
Ramesses I's son and heir, Seti I (c. 1291 - 78) had held the same titles
as his father, namely those of Vizier and Troop Commander. It is therefore not surprising
that he entered into a military campaign as soon as he became king. In year 1 he went with
his army to Syria, and there were several more such expeditions in the first half a dozen
years of his reign. There were also campaigns against Libya and Lebanon, where Egypt met
the Hittites in battle for the first time. In the course of 1 of these campaigns, the city
of Kadesh was captured.
Seti also initiated several building projects. He commenced the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak,
and the great temple to Osiris at Abydos was also down to him.
He was buried in KV17, which is the largest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, being over
300ft (100m) long and deep. The king's well-preserved mummy was found at Deir el-Bahari in
1881.
