| Rule | 20th Dynasty: 1155 - 1149 BC. |
| Predecessor | Father Ramses III |
| Mother | Isis Ta-Hemdjert |
| Nomen | Birth name: Ramses: Ra has fashioned him |
| Praenomen | Throne name: Usermmatre Setepenamun: Powerful is the justice of Ra, beloved of Amun |
| Consorts | Tentopet |
| Capital city | Avaris (Pi-Ramesse) |
| Reign |
Ramses IV resided over the court that tried those arrested in the "Harem Conspiracy" that killed his father Ramses III
Under his rule Egypt was suffering from labor, economic, and social problems. Most texts about his reign note social unrest and economic decline.
This situation was largely due to a series of failed harvests as a consequence to the Hekla 3 Eruption
He ordered extensive mining in quarries, and sent several thousand workers to the quarries in Wadi Hammamat
He is the last New Kingdom Pharaoh to engage in large scale monumental buildings, and ordered extensive work in quarries. However due to economic decline he was not able to pay workers who went to strikes all over Egypt, and Ramses IV was not able to restore the wealth and authority
His most important monuments are:
1) Extensive enlargement of his father's temple of Khonsu in Karnak
2) An obelisk in Heliopolis
3) Additions to the Medinet Habu temple
The most important document to survive from his rule is the Papyrus of Harris, which
honors the life of Ramses III by listing his accomplishments and gifts to the temples
By the end of his reign the High Priest of Amun, Ramesesnakht controlled much of Middle Egypt
This "sharing" of power between the Pharaoh and the High Priests marked the collapse of the New Kingdom
|
| Burial | Valley of Kings - KV 2
Reburied in Deir el Bahri cache KV 35 |
| Successor | Son Ramses V out of queen Tentopet |
| Wikipedia | Ramses IV |
