New Kingdom
Ramesses X (Khepermaatre Setepenre)
20th Dynasty · 1186-1069 BCE
Open full-size illustration →Source: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Background
Ramesses X is one of the more obscure kings of the late New Kingdom, and even his own workmen seem to have lost interest in building his tomb well before he died. Research: Theban Mapping Project; UCL Digital Egypt.
Dynastic chronology: Shaw, Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (2000)
Full profile
The year of the hyenas
Ramesses X remains an obscure figure whose exact relationship to his predecessor is unknown. He ruled for three to nine years. The situation in Upper Egypt deteriorated severely under constant Libyan attacks. Surviving records describe his reign experiencing intense famines, specifically referring to one desperate period as the "year of the hyenas."
A tomb the workers barely touched
His tomb, KV18, was never finished and shows no evidence a burial ever took place there. A surviving work diary from the artisans' village of Deir el-Medina shows that in the final recorded year of construction, laborers were actually present at the tomb on only 37 of 212 possible working days, a level of neglect that likely reflects the same economic and administrative breakdown affecting the rest of the country. Where Ramesses X was actually buried, if he was buried at all in the traditional manner, remains unknown.
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.