Setau was the Viceroy of Kush in the second half of

Ramesses II Ramesses II ( egy, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is often regarded a ...

's reign. Contemporary records show that Setau served in this position from Year 38 until at least Year 63 of Ramesses II's reign. Setau was "a graduate of the royal school" and already enjoyed an impressive record of royal service which is detailed in a long autobiographical inscription carved at Wadi es-Sebua. The temple of Wadi es-Sebua was built for Ramesses II by Setau around 1236 BC or Year 44 of this pharaoh's reign. Eleven of his stela, now in the

Cairo Museum The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or the Cairo Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display a ...

, were found in the courtyard of this temple and make it possible to establish his career and understand the precise duties of a viceroy. Setau states:

Viceroy of Kush

Setau attracted the king's attention and records that he was promoted "to be High Steward of Amen. I served as Superintendent of the Treasury and Festival Leader of Amen" before finally being appointed as the Viceroy of Nubia. Setau was determined to set out his mark in Nubia and records that he: SNMSetau

Apart from the temple of Wadi es-Sebua, Setau also erected another temple at Gerf Hussein on the West Bank of the Nile around Year 45 of Ramesses II. This temple, called the 'House of Ptah' was a ''hemi-speos'' or a partially rock cut and partially exposed temple which was dedicated to Ptah, Ptah-Tatenen and

Hathor Hathor ( egy, ḥwt-ḥr, lit=House of Horus, grc, Ἁθώρ , cop, ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ, Meroitic: ) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky ...

and associated with the pharaoh himself. An avenue of sphinxes here "led up to a pylon serving as the entrance to a peristyle court decorated with colossal Osirid statues." Setau also notes in his series of autobiographical stelas that much of his workforce was derived from foreign captives and funded by spoils captured by Ramesses II on his campaigns. This statement is supported by a Year 44 text made by Ramose (TT7), an Egyptian army officer, who states that the pharaoh directed Setau "to take captives from the land of the Libyans" in order to construct the large temple of Wadi es-Sebua. Unfortunately, however, Setau's ambitious goals to leave his mark on the country of Nubia were handicapped by inferior raw materials and his untrained workforce. As Joyce Tyldesley notes: "the buildings which he (ie. Setau) supervised, although at first sight magnificent, were by no means well built while even his own great stela were full of spelling mistakes." Additionally, he mentions leading a successful Nubian campaign against rebellions in Irem and Akuyata. Setau also built or renovated at a temple at El-Kab.

Burial

Setau's tomb (TT289) is located in the Dra' Abu el-Naga' area of the Theban Necropolis. The tomb is large and decorated with scenes ranging from a funeral procession, to scenes from the Book of the Dead, to scenes of Setau – sometimes with his wife Nofretmut – before deities. Finds include the aforementioned fragments of the granite sarcophagus of Setau, and a coffin lid of Setau's wife with figures of Thoth and Imset. Setau reused the pyramid belonging to tomb 288, which belonged to Bekenkhons, whose tomb is also dated to the Ramesside period. File:TT289.jpg, Floor plan of Setau's tomb, TT289 File:Setau.JPG, Sarcophagus lid of Setau (British Museum)

References

Bibliography

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External links

British Museum: sarcophagus lid of Setau
{{Authority control Ancient Egyptian scribes Viceroys of Kush People of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt 13th-century BC people Ramesses II