Editing Ramesses IX

{{Short description|Egyptian pharaoh of the 20th dynasty}}
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{{Infobox pharaoh
| Name=Ramesses IX
| Image=Ramesses9.jpg
| ImageSize=250
|Caption=Portrait of Ramesses IX from his tomb [[KV6]].
| Alt=Also written Ramses and Rameses 
| NomenHiero=<hiero>N28-C2-R19-C12-N36-M23-F31-s-r:r</hiero>
| Nomen=Ramesses Khaemwaset Mereramun<br>''Rˁ msj sw ḫˁj m W3s.t mrr Jmn''<br>''Ra fashioned him, he appears in [[Thebes, Egypt|Waset]], beloved of [[Amun]]''
|Prenomen=Neferkare Setepenre<br>''Nfr-k3-Rˁ-stp-n-Rˁ''<br>''Perfect is the [[Ancient Egyptian concept of the soul#Ka .28vital spark.29|Ka]] of [[Ra]], the chosen one of Ra''<br><hiero>M23:t-L2:t-<-C2-nfr-D28-N5-U19:n-></hiero>
| Horus = Kanakht Khaemwaset<br>''K3-nḫt-ḫˁ-m-W3s.t''<br>''Strong bull, he who appears <small>(is enthroned)</small> in [[Thebes, Egypt|Waset]]''<br>{{Infobox pharaoh/Serekh|Horus=<hiero>E2:D40-N28:Aa15-R19-X1:O49</hiero>||prefix=<hiero>G5</hiero>}}'''Hieroglyphic variant:'''<br>{{Infobox pharaoh/Serekh|Horus=<hiero>E2:D40-m-N28-R19</hiero> ||prefix=<hiero>G5</hiero>}}
| NebtyHiero = 
| Nebty = Userkhepesh Sankhtawy<br>''Wsr-ḫpš-sˁnḫ-t3.wj''<br>''He whose blow is powerful, he invigorates the two lands ''<br><hiero>G16-F12-T16-S29-S34-M13-M13</hiero><br>'''Hieroglyphic variant:'''<br><hiero>G16-wsr-s-r:D43-F23:D43-G7-s-n:Aa1-N19:N23*N23</hiero> 
| GoldenHiero=
| Golden = Userrenputmiredjet<br>''Wsr-rnp.wt-mj-Rˁ-ḏt''<br>''He who is long-lived <small>litt. rich in years</small> like Ra, forever''<br><hiero>G8-F12-S29-M4-X1::Z2-W19-N5:Z1-D*t*N17 </hiero><br>'''Variant:'''<br>''wsr-rnpwt mi-ˁnḏti wr-nsyt dr-pḏt-9''<br>''He who is long-lived <small>litt. rich in years</small> like [[Andjety]],<br>his kingdom is greater than the nine bows <small>(the enemies of Egypt)</small>''<br><hiero>G8-F12-M4-M4-M4-W19-M17-A23-G36:D21-M23-X1-M17-M17-Z3-D46:D21-D43:T10-X1:Z2-Z2:Z2</hiero>
| Reign=19 regnal years<br>died around age 50<br>1129&ndash;1111 BC
| Predecessor=[[Ramesses VIII]]
| Successor=[[Ramesses X]]
| Dynasty=[[Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt|20th&nbsp;Dynasty]] 
| Father=probably [[Montuherkhopshef (son of Ramesses III)]]
| Mother=probably [[Takhat (20th dynasty)|Takhat]]
| Spouse=[[Baketwernel]] 
| Children=[[Ramesses X]]?, [[Montuherkhepeshef (son of Ramesses IX)|Montuherkhepeshef]], [[Nebmaatre (prince)|Nebmaatre]] 
| Died= 1111 BC
| Burial=[[KV6]]; Mummy found in the [[Deir el-Bahri]] [[Royal Cache|royal cache]] (Theban Necropolis)
}}
[[File:Ostracon Depicting Ramesses IX attributed to the chief draftsman Amenhotep MET LC-14 6 215 EGDP025589.jpg|thumb|198x198px|Ostracon Depicting Ramesses IX attributed to the chief draftsman Amenhotep]]
Neferkare [[Setepenre]] '''Ramesses IX''' (also written '''Ramses''')  (originally named '''Amon-her-khepshef Khaemwaset''') (ruled 1129–1111 BC)<ref>R. Krauss & D.A. Warburton "Chronological Table for the Dynastic Period" in Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss & David Warburton (editors), ''Ancient Egyptian Chronology'' (Handbook of Oriental Studies), Brill, 2006. p.493.  {{isbn|978-90-04-11385-5}}</ref> was the eighth pharaoh of the [[Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt]]. He was the third longest serving king of this Dynasty after [[Ramesses III]] and [[Ramesses XI]]. He is now believed to have assumed the throne on I [[Season of the Inundation|Akhet]] day 21 based on evidence presented by [[Jürgen von Beckerath]] in a 1984 GM article.<ref>J. von Beckerath, Drei Thronbesteigungsdaten der XX. Dynastie, (Three accession dates of the 20th Dynasty), [[Göttinger Miszellen]] 79 (1984), pp.7–9  Beckerath's article discusses the accession dates of Ramesses VI, IX and X</ref><ref>Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss & David Warburton (editors), ''Handbook of Ancient Egyptian Chronology'' (Handbook of Oriental Studies), Brill: 2006, p.216</ref> According to the latest archaeological information, Ramesses IX died in Regnal Year 19 I [[Season of the Emergence|Peret]] day 27 of his reign.<ref>J. von Beckerath, MDAIK 40, 1984, pp.3–4</ref> Therefore, he enjoyed a reign of 18 years, 4 months and 6 days. His throne name, '''Neferkare Setepenre''', means "Beautiful Is The Soul of Re, Chosen of Re."<ref>Peter Clayton, ''Chronicle of the Pharaohs'', Thames & Hudson Ltd., 2006 paperback, p.167.  {{isbn|9780500286289}}</ref> Ramesses IX is believed to be the son of [[Mentuherkhepeshef (son of Ramesses III)|Mentuherkhepeshef]], a son of Ramesses III, since Mentuherkhopshef's wife, the lady [[Takhat (20th dynasty)|Takhat]] bears the prominent title of King's Mother on the walls of tomb [[KV10]], which she usurped and reused in the late 20th Dynasty; no other 20th Dynasty king is known to have had a mother with this name.<ref>Nos ancêtres de l'Antiquité, 1991, Christian Settipani, p.153, 169, 173 & 175</ref> Ramesses IX was, therefore, probably a grandson of Ramesses III.<ref>[http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.element&story_id=&module_id=&language_id=1&element_id=2194&ee_messages=0001.flashrequired.text Mummy of Ramesses the Ninth] Eternal Egypt</ref>

==Tomb robberies==
[[File:Ramses IX Karnak.jpg|thumb|Relief of Ramesses IX at Karnak]]
His reign is best known for the year 16 and year 17 tomb robbery trials, recorded in the [[Abbott Papyrus]], the [[Papyrus Leopold II]], Papyrus BM 10054 and on the [[recto]] of both Papyrus BM 10053 and Papyrus BM 10068. It has been suggested that the undated [[Mayer Papyri|Papyrus Mayer B]], dealing with the plundering of the tomb of [[Ramesses VI]],<ref>[[T. Eric Peet]], The Mayer Papyri A&B, London 1920, 19-20</ref> may also stem from his reign.

During these trials it became clear that several royal and noble tombs in the Western [[Theban Necropolis]] had been robbed, including that of a 17th Dynasty king, [[Sobekemsaf II]]. Paser, [[Mayor]] of Eastern Thebes or Karnak, accused his subordinate [[Paweraa]], the Mayor of West Thebes responsible for the safety of the necropolis, of being either culpable in this wave of robberies or negligent in his duties of protecting the [[Valley of the Kings]] from incursions by tomb robbers. Paweraa played a leading part in the vizierial commission set up to investigate, and, not surprisingly, it proved impossible for Paweraa to be officially charged with any crime due to the circumstantiality of the evidence.  Paser disappeared from sight soon after the report was filed.<ref>Michael Rice, ''Who's Who in Ancient Egypt'', Routledge 2001, p.147. {{isbn|9780415154499}}</ref>

==Projects==
[[File:Egypt.KV6.02.jpg|thumb|Interior of Ramesses IX's [[KV6]] royal tomb]]
In the sixth year of his reign, he inscribed his titulature in the Lower Nubian town of Amara West.<ref>Nicolas Grimal, ''A History of Ancient Egypt'', Blackwell Books, 1992. p.289.  {{isbn|0-631-17472-9}}</ref> Most of his building works centre on the sun temple centre of Heliopolis in Lower Egypt where the most significant monumental works of his reign are located.<ref>Grimal, p.289</ref> However, he also decorated the wall to the north of the Seventh Pylon in the Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak.<ref>Grimal, p.289</ref> Finally, his name has been found at the [[Dakhla Oasis]] in Western Egypt and Gezer at Canaan which may suggest a residual Egyptian influence in Asia; the majority of the New Kingdom Empire's possessions in Canaan and Syria had long been lost to the Sea Peoples by his reign. He is also known for having honoured his predecessors [[Ramesses II]], [[Ramesses III]] and [[Ramesses VII]]. He also paid close attention to Lower Egypt and built a substantial monument at [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]].

==Family==
[[File:RamessesIX-Relief MetropolitanMuseum.png|thumb|Relief of the pharaoh Ramesses IX from the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]]] 
Ramesses IX is known to have had two sons: at [[Heliopolis (Ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]], "a gateway was reinscribed with texts including the king's names and also those of the prince and High Priest Nebmaatre, who was fairly certainly his son."<ref>Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, ''The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson, 2004. p.191.  {{isbn|978-977-424-957-0}}</ref> Ramesses IX's second son, Montuherkhopshef C, perhaps this king's intended heir, who did not live long enough to succeed his father, took over the former [[KV19]] tomb of Sethirkhepsef B in the [[Valley of the Kings]].<ref>Dodson & Hilton, p.191</ref> The throne was instead assumed by [[Ramesses X]] whose precise relationship to Ramesses IX is unclear. Ramesses X might have been Ramesses IX's son, but this assumption remains unproven. Tomb KV19, which was one of the most beautifully decorated tombs in the royal valley, had been abandoned by Sethirkhepsef B when the latter assumed the throne as king [[Ramesses VIII]] and one of prince Montuherkhopshef's depictions there "bears the prenomen cartouche to Ramesses IX on its belt" thereby establishing the identity of this prince's father.<ref>Dodson & Hilton, p.191</ref>  The tomb of Ramesses IX, [[KV6]], has been open since antiquity, as is evidenced by the presence of [[Latin|Roman]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] [[graffiti]] on the tomb walls. It is quite long in the tradition of the 'syringe' tunnels of the later 19th and 20th Dynasties and lies directly opposite the tomb of [[Ramesses II]] in the Valley of the Kings; this fact may have influenced Ramesses IX's choice of location for his final resting place due to its proximity to this great Pharaoh.<ref>Clayton, p.170</ref> While Ramesses IX's chief queen is not precisely identified in surviving Egyptian inscriptions, she was most likely [[Baketwernel]].<ref>Dodson & Hilton, p.191</ref>

==Burial and rediscovery==
In 1881, the [[mummy]] of Ramesses IX (nr. 5209) was found in the [[Deir el-Bahri]] cache ([[DB320]]) within one of the two coffins of [[Neskhons]]—wife of the Theban High Priest [[Pinedjem II]].<ref>Dennis C. Forbes, ''Tombs, Treasures and Mummies'', KMT Communications Inc. (1998), pp.646–647.  {{isbn|1879388065}}</ref> This pharaoh's mummy was not apparently examined by [[Grafton Elliot Smith]] and not included in his 1912 catalogue of the Royal Mummies.<ref>Forbes, pp.646–647</ref> When the mummy was unwrapped by [[Maspero]], a bandage was found from a year 5, mentioning the lady [[Neskhons]], most probably from the reign of king [[Siamun]]. A further strip of linen from a year 7 identified the mummy as "Ra Khaemwaset" which can be taken as a reference to either Ramesses Khaemwaset Meryamun (IX) or Ramesses Khaemwaset Meryamun Neterheqainu (XI).<ref>Gaston Maspero, ''Les momies royales de Deir el-Bahari'', Paris: 1889, pp.566–568</ref> But since an ivory box of Neferkare Ramesses IX was found in the royal cache itself, and Ramesses XI was probably never buried at Thebes but rather in Lower Egypt, "the [royal] mummy is most likely to be that of Ramesses IX himself."<ref>Dylan Bickerstaffe, ''Refugees for eternity - The royal mummies of Thebes'' - part 4 - Identifying the Royal Mummies, Canopus Press, 2009.  {{isbn|9780956187512}}</ref>{{page number needed|date=March 2025}}  It is estimated that the king was about 50 years old when he died (but it is extremely difficult to correctly establish the age of mummies) and his mummy was found to have broken limbs, a broken neck and damage to its nose, which is missing.<ref>[http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.element&story_id=&module_id=&language_id=1&element_id=2194&ee_messages=0001.flashrequired.text Mummy of Ramesses the Ninth] Eternal Egypt</ref>

In April 2021 his mummy was moved from the [[Egyptian Museum]] to the [[National Museum of Egyptian Civilization]] along with those of 17 other kings and 4 queens in an event termed the [[Pharaohs' Golden Parade]].<ref name=Parisse>{{cite news |last=Parisse |first=Emmanuel  |date=5 April 2021 |title=22 Ancient Pharaohs Have Been Carried Across Cairo in an Epic 'Golden Parade'  |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/22-ancient-pharaohs-have-been-carried-across-cairo-in-an-epic-golden-parade |work=ScienceAlert  |access-date=5 April 2021}}</ref>

==In modern literature==
The novel ''[[Ancient Evenings]]'' by [[Norman Mailer]] is told from the perspective of characters living during the reign of Ramesses IX, including Ramesses IX himself.  Most but not all of the novel takes place on one long evening in 1123 or 1122 BCE, during which the characters (including Ramesses IX) tell stories of the past. The majority of the book concerns the reign of Ramesses II, approximately 150 years before the night of the narrative; the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) is in turn the central event of this sub-narrative.

==See also==
* [[Ramesses IX Tomb-plan Ostracon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[Cyril Aldred]], A statue of king Neferkarē' Ramesses IX, [[JEA]] 41 (1955), pp. 3–8
* Amin A. M. A. Amer, Notes on Ramesses IX in Memphis and Karnak, [[Göttinger Miszellen]] 57 (1982), pp. 11–16 
* [[Jürgen von Beckerath]], Drei Thronbesteigungsdaten der XX. Dynastie, Göttinger Miszellen 79 (1984), pp. 7–9
* Dylan Bickerstaffe, Refugees for eternity - The royal mummies of Thebes - part 4 - Identifying the Royal Mummies, Canopus Press, 2009
* Jac. J. Janssen, Once Again the Accession Date of Ramesses IX, [[Göttinger Miszellen]] 191 (2002), pp. 59–65
* [[Gaston Maspero]], Les momies royales de Deir el-Bahari, Paris, 1889, pp. 566–568

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ramses IX}}
* [http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_820.html  The Tomb of Ramesses IX, Valley of the Kings, Egypt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505215201/http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/sites/browse_tomb_820.html |date=2009-05-05 }}

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{{s-bef | before=[[Ramesses VIII]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Pharaoh|Pharaoh of Egypt]] | years=[[Twentieth Dynasty]] }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Ramesses X]]}}
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{{Pharaohs}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramesses 09}}
[[Category:Ramesses IX| ]]
[[Category:12th-century BC pharaohs]]
[[Category:Pharaohs of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt]]
[[Category:Ancient Egyptian mummies]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:12th-century BC deaths]]