Seti II

Seti II was the fifth pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt and reigned from c. 1203 BC to 1197 BC. He was the son of Merneptah and Isetnofret II and sat on the throne during a period known for dynastic intrigue and short reigns. He had to deal with many serious plots, most significantly the accession of a rival king named Amenmesse, possibly a half brother, who seized control over Thebes and Nubia in Upper Egypt during his second to fourth regnal years. Seti II eventually defeated Amenmesse and restored his authority over the whole of Egypt. He also faced threats from the Libyans, who raided the western Delta, and the Sea Peoples, who attacked the eastern Delta and the coastal regions of Palestine and Syria. Seti II was a prolific builder and left many monuments and inscriptions throughout Egypt, especially in Karnak, Abydos, and the Valley of the Kings, where his tomb was discovered in 1898. He was buried with a rich collection of funerary equipment, including a gold mask, a pectoral, a dagger, and a mummy bandage with his name. His mummy was found in the royal cache at Deir el-Bahri in 1881 and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.