New Kingdom
Ramesses VII (Usermaatre Setepenre Meryamun)
20th Dynasty · 1186-1069 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Little of substance survives about Ramesses VII's own actions as king; what is documented is mostly economic distress under his rule and the modest, unfinished tomb he left behind, which had already been opened and robbed by the time Greek and Roman tourists were leaving graffiti on its walls. Research: Theban Mapping Project; UCL Digital Egypt.
Dating: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
Continued decline
Ramesses VII ruled for approximately seven years. His reign saw continued economic turmoil, soaring grain prices, and rampant inflation. The prestige of the royal household plummeted as the country drifted further into poverty.
A small, unfinished, and long-open tomb
His tomb, KV1, is unusually small for a Twentieth Dynasty king and shows clear signs the original plan was cut short, with a final chamber left unfinished. Unlike most royal tombs, KV1 was never lost to history: it stood open from antiquity onward, and archaeologists have counted well over a hundred pieces of graffiti left by ancient Greek and Roman visitors on its walls. Ramesses VII's mummy has never been identified; only a handful of vessels bearing his name were later found among the royal mummy cache, suggesting his body was already gone by the time the priests who assembled that cache went looking for it.
Sources for this profile
- Baker, D. D. (2008). The Encyclopedia of the Pharaohs: Volume 1. Stacey International.
- Shaw, I. (Ed.). (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
- University College London. Kings of the New Kingdom.
- Reeves, N., & Wilkinson, R. H. (1996). The Complete Valley of the Kings. Thames & Hudson.
- Dodson, A., & Hilton, D. (2004). The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson.
The complete, APA-formatted reference list is on the Academic Sources & Bibliography page.