The burial chamber of Tomb of Seti I

The tomb of Seti I is one of the longest, deepest, and most beautifully decorated tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Seti I was the second king of the 19th Dynasty, and father of Ramesses II (the Great). His tomb, (KV17) in the Valley of the Kings, is sometimes called “Belzoni’s tomb” after its discoverer.

The vaulted ceiling of Seti I’s lower burial chamber represents the firmament and the stars within it. Different constellations from the night sky—including Ursa Major, which is a bull in ancient Egyptian cosmology (right)—appear, positioned between processions of the gods.

The Burial Chamber of King Seti I. Photo: Araldo De Luca

Like the other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the tomb of Seti I is decorated with various funerary texts, the aim of which was to ensure his successful transition to the afterlife. The tomb of Seti I was the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings to be entirely decorated. The elegant painted scenes and reliefs are of the exquisite quality that the reign of Seti I is so well known for.

Related: Mummy of Seti I

The funerary texts attested there are the Litany of Re, Amduat, and Book of Gates, in addition to the Book of the Divine Cow and the gorgeous astronomical scenes decorating the ceiling of his burial chamber, simulating the night sky.

Architecturally, the tomb of Seti I falls under the “joggled axis” type characteristic of his period. The first series of corridors and descending passageways terminate into the first pillared room, where, in the facing wall, but off-axis, another series of descending passageways cut into the floor of the room lead to the burial chamber.

The tomb does feature a number of new and unique characteristics. Along the same axis of the first series of corridors and descending passageways, a doorway leads into a single room. This may have been intended to lead intruders to believe that this was the actual burial chamber.

The vaulted ceiling of Seti I’s lower burial chamber represents the firmament and the stars within it. Tomb of Seti I (KV17), Valley of the Kings, Thebes.

The tomb of Seti I is also the first tomb to possess a burial chamber with a vaulted ceiling. Perhaps most interesting of all is the passage begins in the floor of the burial chamber, descending even further, deep into the earth.

At 290 feet from entrance hall to burial chamber (and a farther 570 feet in the form of the tunnel at the end), Seti I’s tomb (known as KV17) is the longest in the Valley of the Kings. It accommodates ritual features, such as the well chamber, and scenes from Egyptian funerary texts. One of these, from the Book of Gates, depicts the journey of a soul through the underworld.

It is believed that this was intended to ritually connect the tomb of Seti I with the primeval and regenerative powers of the underworld. In 1821, painted recreations of several rooms from the tomb of Seti I were displayed in the Egyptian Hall in Piccadilly in London.

This exhibition, put together by the discoverer of the tomb, Giovanni Battista Belzoni, made an ancient Egyptian tomb available to various members of the public. It captured people’s imagination, and is one of the first monuments responsible for attracting popular attention to ancient Egypt.

New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Seti I, ca. 1290-1279 BC. Tomb of Seti I (KV17), Valley of the Kings, West Thebes.