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Temple of Abidos, Egypt. 19th. Dynasty 1317 B.C.
This relief depicts the young prince Seti I with his arm raised in the summoning position as part of a religious ritual. Here, he is serving in a priestly function as a innmutef priest symbolizing the divine child Horus with hair in a sidelock to represent youth and dressed with a leopard skin. As the eldest son of the royal family who cared for the deceased king he summons the revered spirit of the King, now identified with Osiris, and pronounces a formula before the image of his father Ramses I. A capable ruler, excellent field commander and energetic builder, Seti I embarked on a series of military campaigns in an effort to secure the boundaries of Egypt. Echoing the achievements of kings of the XVIII dynasty before Akhenaten, he inaugurated a major program to build and refurbish religious monuments at Thebes and Abydos. He took the additional title of "Repeater of births" to indicate that he regarded himself as inaugurating a new era. Seti I was seceded by his son, the famous Ramses II the Great.
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