Editing Seti I (section)

===Tomb===
[[File:Pharaoh Seti I, detail of a wall painting from the Tomb of Seti I at the Valley of the Kings, Western Thebes, Egypt. Neues Museum.jpg|thumb|Pharaoh Seti I, detail of a wall painting from the Tomb of Seti I, KV17, at the Valley of the Kings. Neues Museum]]
[[File:Hieroglyphs from the tomb of Seti I.jpg|thumb|right|Hieroglyphs from the tomb of Seti I]]
[[Tomb of Seti I|Seti's well-preserved tomb]] (KV17) was found in 1817 by [[Giovanni Belzoni]], in the [[Valley of the Kings]];<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-and-civilisation/2020/06/this-pharaohs-painted-tomb-was-missing-its-mummy|title = This pharaoh's painted tomb was missing its mummy|date = 25 June 2020}}</ref> it proved to be the longest at {{convert|446|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}<ref>{{cite news| title=Pharaoh Seti I's Tomb Bigger Than Thought | url =http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080417-seti-tomb.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080420142208/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080417-seti-tomb.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =20 April 2008 | access-date = 2008-04-19}}</ref> and deepest of all the New Kingdom royal tombs. It was also the first tomb to feature decorations (including the ''[[Book of the Heavenly Cow]]'')<ref name="EncycloBooks.com">{{cite web |url= http://encyclobooks.com/Legends-Of-The-Gods/|title= Legend of the Gods|publisher= Kegan Paul|year= 1912|access-date= 2011-10-16|url-status= usurped|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120425071307/http://encyclobooks.com/Legends-Of-The-Gods/|archive-date= 2012-04-25}}</ref> on every passageway and chamber with highly refined bas-reliefs and colorful paintings – fragments of which, including a large column depicting Seti I with the goddess [[Hathor]], can be seen in the [[National Archaeological Museum, Florence]]. This decorative style set a precedent which was followed in full or in part in the tombs of later New Kingdom kings. Seti's [[mummy]] itself was discovered by [[Émile Brugsch]] on June 6, 1881, in the [[Royal Cache]] (tomb DB320) at [[Deir el-Bahari]] and has since been kept at the [[Egyptian Museum]] in Cairo.{{sfn|Rohl|1995|pp=71-73}}

His huge [[sarcophagus of Seti I|sarcophagus]], carved in one piece and intricately decorated on every surface (including the goddess [[Nut (goddess)|Nut]] on the interior base), is in [[Sir John Soane's Museum]].<ref name="Soane">{{cite web|url= http://www.soane.org/collections/egyptian_and_classical_antiquities/|title= Egyptian Collection at the Sir John Soane's Museum|access-date= 2007-02-15|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101003115841/http://www.soane.org/collections/egyptian_and_classical_antiquities|archive-date= 2010-10-03}}</ref> Soane bought it for exhibition in his open collection in 1824, when the [[British Museum]] refused to pay the £2,000 demanded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/05/sir-john-soane-museum-recreates-sepulchral-chamber-of-pharaoh-seti-i|title = Sir John Soane's museum recreates architect's vision of pharaoh's tomb|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 5 November 2017}}</ref> On its arrival at the museum, the alabaster was pure white and inlaid with blue [[copper sulphate]]. Years of the London climate and pollution have darkened the alabaster to a buff colour and absorbed moisture has caused the [[hygroscopic]] inlay material to fall out and disappear completely. A small watercolour nearby records the appearance, as it was.

The tomb also had an entrance to a secret tunnel hidden behind the sarcophagus, which Belzoni's team estimated to be {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} long.<ref name="El-Aref">{{cite news|last1=El-Aref |first1=Nevine |title=Secret Tunnels And Ancient Mysteries |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/Archive/2009/970/he1.htm |access-date=Jan 31, 2019 |work=Al-Ahram Weekly |issue=970 |date=Oct 29, 2009}}</ref> However, the tunnel was not truly excavated until 1961, when a team led by Sheikh Ali Abdel-Rasoul began digging in hopes of discovering a secret burial chamber containing hidden treasures.<ref name="El-Aref" /> The team failed to follow the original passage in their excavations, and had to call a halt due to instabilities in the tunnel;<ref name="Williams">{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Sean |title=No Secret Burial At End Of Seti I Tunnel |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/history/no-secret-burial-at-end-of-seti-i-tunnel-2014674.html |access-date=Jan 30, 2019 |work=The Independent |date=June 30, 2010}}</ref> further issues with permits and finances eventually ended Sheikh Ali's dreams of treasure,<ref name="El-Aref"/> though they were at least able to establish that the passage was over {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} longer than the original estimate. In June 2010, a team from Egypt's [[Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Egypt)|Ministry of Antiquities]] led by Dr. [[Zahi Hawass]] completed excavation of the tunnel, which had begun again after the discovery in 2007 of a downward-sloping passage beginning approximately {{convert|136|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} into the previously excavated tunnel. After uncovering two separate staircases, they found that the tunnel ran for {{convert|174|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} in total; unfortunately, the last step seemed to have been abandoned prior to completion and no secret burial chamber was found.<ref name="Williams" />