Men-maat-re was one of five names in Seti I’s royal titular. Both the Throne name, which is seen here, and the Birth Name were surrounded by the Royal Cartouche. It is the Birth Name, which historians use to refer to pharaohs, rather than the Throne Name. Seti I’s Birth Name is Sety Merenptah, meaning “Man of Set, beloved of Ptah”. Seti I was a New Kingdom pharaoh from the 19th Dynasty and was the son of Ramesses I. His known reign dates are inconclusive, giving an 11 year reign or 15 years, although there are no recorded dates after the 11th year. He is known as a great ruler, known for his military campaigns and aim to reclaim order and territory in Canaan and Syria, and his victories over the Hittites. His greatest military achievement was the reclaiming of Kadesh in Syria, which had not been held since the reign of Akhenaten, father of Tutankhamun. It is generally believed that Seti I restored much of the Egyptian Empires’ glory after the chaotic and fragmentary reign of Ahkenatan and Tutankhamun. Somewhat unfortunately for Seti I, his achievements pale in comparison to his son’s, Ramesses II, or Ramesses the Great.
Amulets, depending on their type or form, had different meanings and properties. The cowroid amulet imitated the shape of a cowrie shell, beginning to appear in the 2nd millennium BC. The cowrie shell itself was often worn as an amulet or as adornment, and due to their shape, were associated with fertility and protection from the evil eye. Cowrie shells and cowroids are typically found in female burials, but have also been known to accompany male graves as well.
To discover more about amulets in the Ancient Egyptian world, please visit our relevant post: Amulets in Ancient Egypt.
