Role as Warrior
A role which the pharaoh was expected to fulfil, and which Seti I excelled at was ‘warrior pharaoh.’ Performing well in this area was very beneficial for propaganda purposes, and therefore in many cases the contributions of the pharaoh as a military leader were greatly exaggerated. The role of warrior Pharaoh closely links to the role of upholder of maat, which is defined as the “divinely established order of the universe” and cohesion between humans and Gods. Through leading successful military campaigns and maintaining peace, maat was believed to be sustained.
The role of warrior pharaoh was particularly significant for Seti I as it was through military campaigns that Seti I maintained Egypt's sphere of influence. Other Pharaohs used different strategies, such as Amenhotep III's foregin marriages or the diplomatic approach taken by Akhenaten who negotiated with foreign rulers through what are now referred to as 'The Amarna Letters.' However during the New Kingdom period the 'warrior god' depiction of the Pharaoh was preferred.
To encourage a perception of himself as a mighty warrior, such inscriptions referring to Seti I were recorded at the Karnak Temple:
The role of warrior pharaoh was particularly significant for Seti I as it was through military campaigns that Seti I maintained Egypt's sphere of influence. Other Pharaohs used different strategies, such as Amenhotep III's foregin marriages or the diplomatic approach taken by Akhenaten who negotiated with foreign rulers through what are now referred to as 'The Amarna Letters.' However during the New Kingdom period the 'warrior god' depiction of the Pharaoh was preferred.
To encourage a perception of himself as a mighty warrior, such inscriptions referring to Seti I were recorded at the Karnak Temple:
“His Majesty marched against them like a fierce-eyed lion. Making them carcasses in their valleys, overturned in their own blood.”
The formal regalia associated with the role of 'Warrior Pharaoh' was the blue war crown (shown above). There are many images depicting Seti I wearing this crown, illustrating his great contributions in the area of foreign policy. However the reliability of such sources is questionable due to the fact that most pharaoh's would portray themselves as warriors even if they had not participated in any military campaigns. A wider range of sources need to be referred to in order to gain a more accurate understanding of Seti I as a warrior pharaoh.