Contributions as Builder
Seti I was a prolific builder who produced a remarkable building program during his reign. From his impressive building program, monuments including his additions to the Temple of Amen at Karnak, The Temple of Seti at Abydos and The Osireion have survived. At these sites is what is now believed to be Egypt’s finest reliefs, their quality never to be matched by any of Seti’s successors.
The Temple of Amen at Karnak
Floor plan of the Hypostyle Hall at Karnak
Seti I made his own contributions to the Temple of Amen at Karnak. Within the large complex, he focused on developing the Hypostyle Hall started during the reign of Amenhotep III. Both rows of columns and much of the northern section of the hall was completed by Seti I, however his more notable contribution were the reliefs placed on the northern exterior wall. They depicted Seti's military campaigns and interactions with the gods, presenting a biased view of the Pharaoh and his contributions.
Seti I's additions to the temple were dedicated to his 'father' Amen who was depicted in many of the reliefs.
Seti I's additions to the temple were dedicated to his 'father' Amen who was depicted in many of the reliefs.
Temple of Seti at Abydos
“But his cleverest move consisted in founding a temple whose magnificence should vie with that of the very greatest fanes of the capital cities. Abydos, the reputed home of Osiris, had always been a favourite site for the building activities of the Pharaohs, but to none of Sethos’s (Seti’s) predecessors had it occurred to honour the place on such as scale as he devised.”
[The temple at Abydos is] “perhaps the noblest monument of Egyptian art still surviving in the land.”
The temple of Seti at Abydos recieves great praise from historians because of the meticulous quality of its design. The first quotation provides the opinion of Sir Alan Gardiner (Egypt of the Pharaohs p 250.) He compares other Egyptain pharaohs to Seti I, claiming that none of them could rival his building at Abydos. Breasted (second quotation) provides a supporting perspective, acclaiming Seti's temple as "the noblest" example of Egyptian art.
Built in Abydos, the ancient cult centre of Osiris, Seti dedicated his monument to numerous gods: Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amen-Re, Ptah and Re-Harakhte and also to himself in order to emphasise his status as a 'living god.' The temple connected Seti I to the previous dynasties of Egypt and, by listing all of the districts of Egypt on the door he emphasised his influence on Egypt and vice versa.
Built in Abydos, the ancient cult centre of Osiris, Seti dedicated his monument to numerous gods: Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amen-Re, Ptah and Re-Harakhte and also to himself in order to emphasise his status as a 'living god.' The temple connected Seti I to the previous dynasties of Egypt and, by listing all of the districts of Egypt on the door he emphasised his influence on Egypt and vice versa.
The temple was constructed of white limestone and contains beautiful reliefs of the highest quality. Within the building was the famous 'Kings List' containing the cartouches of seventy five Egyptian rulers. This is a highly significant piece of archaeological evidence and is highly regarded among all artefacts from Ancient Egypt. The temple also housed seven shrines dedicated to the gods: Horus, Isis, Osiris, Amen-Re, Re-Harakhte, Ptah and Seti himself. In this section were reliefs depicting the offerings made to each god by Seti in daily religious rituals.
At the time of his death, Seti's temple at Abydos was incomplete, therefore it was finished by his son, Ramessess II. His contributions to the temple show an obvious decline in the quality of the reliefs, due to Ramesses opting for an easier, more efficient method.
The Osireion
The Osireion is located behind the Abydos temple and may have been intended to be a 'cenotaph' (empty tomb.) The architecture of the Osireion is particularly unusual: a rectangular 'island' surrounded by a channel of water was constructed in the middle of the hall on which large pillars were built. This design may have represented the primeval waters and mound which began all of creation. Although the structure was built by Seti I it was largely decorated by his grandson, Merenptah with scenes from 'The Book of Gates' , images of the journey to the underworld, texts relating to astronomy and depictions of gods and goddesses.
Mortuary Temple at Qurna, Thebes
The purpose of mortuary temples was to honour and remember a deceased pharaoh. Built in the religious district of Egypt, Seti I called his Mortuary Temple the 'Temple of the Spirit of Seti-Merneptah-in the House of Amen on the West of Thebes.' Construction of the temple was begun during Seti I's reign and completed in the reign of his son, Ramesses II, who left the temple with more inscriptions placed there than by its original builder. One chamber of the building was dedicated to Seti's father, Ramesses I and inscriptions at the site also dedicate the temple to the god Amen and to Seti himself. The entire temple was decorated with hieroglyphics and both raised and sunken reliefs.
Temple at Elephantine
This particular temple was one of Seti's smaller, less significant building projects. He adorned the structure with reliefs depicting himself presenting treasure to the gods Amen and Khnum.
Minor Temples and Restorations
Throughout his reign, Seti I constructed numerous temples around the empire in honour of the traditional Egyptian gods as a way of recovering from Akhenaten's monothestic reign. He dedicated many structures to his biological father, such as the Temple at Buhen (which also honoured "all the gods of Egypt") and celebrated the successes of his own reign shown through the reliefs depicting his battle with the Nubians which he added to a desert Temple north of Edfu for example. As much as possible, Seti honoured himself and emphasised his role as a god. As is the case with many of his temples and monuments, they were dedicated to numerous gods and to himself so as to prove his close connection with the gods and therefore gain the trust of the Egypian people. Seti's restorations mainly consisted of repairing any damage inflicted to the name 'Amen' inscribed on monuments which most likely occurred during the Amarna period.
Works at Heliopolis
Many of Seti I's building contributions at Heliopolis are no longer in existence or were claimed by his successors. Ramesses II claimed four large statues and two obelisks attributed to his father. Seti's main building projects in Heliopolis are believed to have been obelisks, one of which is now situated in the Italian capital, Rome.
Tomb of Seti I
Discovered in 1817 in the Valley of the Kings by archaeologist Giovanni Battista Belzoni, Seti I's tomb continues to intrigue almost 200 years after its uncovering. This is largely due to the sheer size of the monument, which is the largest of the royal tombs, measuring more than 120 metres long.
The structure of the tomb is as follows: A descending flight of steps follows the entrance to the tomb, leading to a corridor and then a second stairway. After a second corridor is a rectangular shaft leading into a 8 metre wide room containing four large pillars to which a second hall is attached. Further on lies a more complex hall containing six pillars and two chapels. The burial chamber follows, its ceilings decorated with constellations and the walls adorned with passages from the Book of Gates and the Amduat. All throughout the tomb the impressive art which the reign of Seti was renowned for is found. The alabaster sarcophagus in the burial chamber contained the mummy of Seti I, which was one of the best preserved from this time period.
The structure of the tomb is as follows: A descending flight of steps follows the entrance to the tomb, leading to a corridor and then a second stairway. After a second corridor is a rectangular shaft leading into a 8 metre wide room containing four large pillars to which a second hall is attached. Further on lies a more complex hall containing six pillars and two chapels. The burial chamber follows, its ceilings decorated with constellations and the walls adorned with passages from the Book of Gates and the Amduat. All throughout the tomb the impressive art which the reign of Seti was renowned for is found. The alabaster sarcophagus in the burial chamber contained the mummy of Seti I, which was one of the best preserved from this time period.