Ramesses VII 337Ramesses IV (Heqama’atre’setepenamun)(d. 1156
B.C.E.) Third ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty
He reigned from 1163 B.C.E. until his death. The son of
RAMESSES IIIand probably Queen ISET(2), he buried his
father and placed the HARRIS PAPYRUS Iin the tomb during
the MORTUARY RITUALS. The HAREMconspirators, who had
plotted the death of his father, met their final ends during
his reign.
Young when crowned, Ramesses IV proclaimed a
general amnesty and was active in refurbishing sites in
the Nile Valley. He built in THEBES, ABYDOS, HELIOPOLIS,
KARNAK, EDFU, EL-TOD, ESNA, BUHEN, GARF HUSSEIN,
MEDAMUD, ERMENT, and KOPTOS. He also sent expeditions
to the WADI HAMMAMATand to the SINAIand reopened
QUARRIESto aid in constructing temples at DEIR EL-BAHRI,
at THEBES. His viceroy, Hori, governed NUBIA(modern
Sudan) in this historical period.
Marrying Queen ISETNOFRET(3), Ramesses IV prayed
to the gods for a long reign to better serve Egypt but that
ambition was not to be fulfilled. A second consort was
Queen TENTOPET, or Duatentapet, and his sons were
RAMESSES Vand AMENHIRKHOPSHEF. Dying young, possibly
of smallpox, Ramesses IV was buried in the VALLEY OF
THE KINGS. His tomb was designed with steps leading to
three corridors and to a chamber that was decorated with
inscriptions from the BOOK OF THE DEAD. The burial
chamber is square with an astronomical ceiling and a
granite sarcophagus. Painted reliefs serve as decorations.
Ramesses IV’s mummified corpse was moved to the
tomb of AMENHOTEP IIin THEBESand was recovered there.
In his embalmed state of preservation, Ramesses IV is
clean-shaven and bald, and his mummy was stuffed with
lichen in his chest and abdomen. His eyes had been filled
with two onions to retain their shape during the mortu-
ary rituals.
Ramesses V Userma’atre’sekhepenré)(d. 1151 B.C.E.)
Fourth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty
He reigned from 1156 B.C.E. until his death. He was the
son of RAMESSES IVand Queen TENTOPET. Ramesses V
reopened the mines at GEBEL EL-SILSILEHand the SINAI
and built at HELIOPOLIS and at the Nubian (modern
Sudanese) fortress of BUHEN. The WILBOUR PAPYRUSdates
to his reign, and he is recorded also as marrying Queen
NUBKHESHED(1).
Ramesses V’s reign was troubled by a lethal epidemic
of smallpox and by conditions approaching a civil war. As
many as six members of the royal family died of small-
pox, and Ramesses V’s mummy carries scars from the dis-
ease. He may have died from smallpox or have been a
victim of the political unrest of the period. The fragmen-
tary hieratic papyrus of Turin indicates that he was
buried in year two of his successor, RAMESSES VI. Whether
he was held prisoner and died in captivity or died and
was kept in an embalmed state as a corpse for years,
Ramesses V was put to rest in the VALLEY OF THE KINGS
and then finally reburied in the tomb of AMENHOTEP II.
His chest and abdomen were filled with sawdust, an
unusual mummification material. His head also displays a
major wound, inflicted before or shortly after his death,
adding to the mystery.
The tomb of Ramesses V was designed with an
entrance passage, a well room, and a pillared hall, deco-
rated with paintings. His burial chamber has a ceiling
depicting the goddess NUTand reliefs from the Book of
Daysand the Book of the Heavens.The mask from his
anthropoid COFFINwas recovered.Ramesses VI (Nebma’atre’meryamun)(d. 1143 B.C.E.)
Fifth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty
He reigned from 1151 B.C.E. until his death, possibly a
usurper of the throne of his nephew, RAMESSES V.
Ramesses VI was reportedly the son of RAMESSES IIIand
Queen ISET. He also married a Queen NUBKHESED(2), per-
haps the widow of Ramesses V. His son was RAMESSES VII,
and his daughter, ISET, became a GOD’S WIFE OF AMUNat
Thebes. His other sons were Panebenkemyt and Amen-
hirkhopshef.
Ramesses VI sent an expedition to the SINAI, and he
was the last of his royal line to work the turquoise mines
there. He left statues and a KARNAKrelief. When he died,
he was buried in the tomb of Ramesses V, blocking the
original tomb on the site, that of TUT’ANKHAMUN, thus
saving it from plunderers. This tomb extends into the
cliff and is one of the most beautifully decorated sites in
the VALLEY OF THE KINGS. An astronomical ceiling design,
with royal VULTUREsymbols, is displayed, and long corri-
dors and vaults depicting the goddess NUTare evident.
Robbers invaded his tomb during the next dynastic
period, and the mummy of Ramesses VI was hacked to
pieces, damaging his head and trunk. The priests of later
dynasties had to pin his remains to a board in order to
transfer them to the tomb of AMENHOTEP IIfor security.
His remains contained the head of an unknown woman.Ramesses VII (Userma’atre’meryamun)(d. 1136
B.C.E.) Sixth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty
He reigned from 1143 B.C.E. until his death. Ramesses VII
was the son of RAMESSES VI and probably Queen
NUBKHESED(2), also called Itames. He married another
ISET NOFRETand had a son who died as an infant. He
built additions or refurbished temples at MEMPHIS, KAR-
NAK, and ELKAB. His only true monument, however, is
his tomb in the VALLEY OF THE KINGSon the western
shore of the Nile at Thebes. He was proclaimed on a
stela, however, and a SCARABthat was discovered bears
his CARTOUCHE.
His tomb in the Valley of the Kings is small but beauti-
fully decorated, with corridors and a burial chamber.
Ramesses VII’s granite SARCOPHAGUSwas fashioned in the