Ramesses IX

Ramesses IX was the eighth pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty, ruling for eighteen years from roughly 1129 BC to 1111 BC, with chronological uncertainty of around five years. He was the son of Prince Montuherkhepeshef and governed the country from Pi-Ramesses.

His lengthy reign witnessed an escalation of internal crises, including incursions by desert nomadic groups, worker strikes at Deir el-Medina, and growing corruption in Upper Egypt. The period is celebrated for the official state investigations into the desecration of the royal necropolis, documented in surviving court records known as the Tomb Robbery Papyri. These papyri record the trial and punishment of gangs that plundered the ancient tombs of the pharaohs. Ramesses IX was succeeded by his son, Ramesses X.

Scholars know this king through extensive papyrological evidence, inscriptions at Karnak, and surviving architectural fragments from Heliopolis. His royal tomb, KV6 in the Valley of the Kings, features splendid low-relief carvings and texts from various Underworld books. His mummy was ultimately secured in the Deir el-Bahari royal cache.

Monuments

• KV6
• Heliopolis monuments
• Karnak inscriptions

Explore further

Try the name on the Cartouche Desk, or see where the reign falls on the timeline.