Abydos, Egypt
أبيدو | |
El-Balyana, Sohag Governorate, Egypt | |
Region | Upper Egypt |
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Coordinates | 26°11′06″N 31°55′08″E / 26.18500°N 31.91889°E |
Type | Settlement |
History | |
Periods | First Dynasty to Thirtieth Dynasty |
Abydos
Considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, the sacred city of Abydos was the site of many ancient
Today, Abydos is notable for the memorial temple of
The Great Temple and most of the
History
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Name of Abydos in hieroglyphs | ||||
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Most of
Tombs and at least one temple of rulers of the
The pharaohs of the
-
King Khasekhemwy "fort" in Abydos. c. 2700 BCE
-
King Khasekhemwy "fort" in Abydos.
From the
During the
New construction during the
I was also constructed at Abydos—the only pyramid in the area; very little of it remains today.Thutmose III built a far larger temple, about 130 ft × 200 ft (40 m × 61 m). He also made a processional way leading past the side of the temple to the cemetery beyond, featuring a great gateway of granite.[14]
The last building added was a new temple of
Cult centre
From earliest times, Abydos was a cult centre, first of the local deity, Khentiamentiu, and from the end of the Old Kingdom, the rising cult of Osiris. A tradition developed that the
Decorations in tombs throughout Egypt, such as the one displayed to the right, record pilgrimages to Abydos by wealthy families.[18]
Great Osiris Temple
From the First Dynasty to the
At an undetermined date, a great clearance of temple offerings had been made and the modern discovery of a chamber into which they were gathered yielded the fine ivory carvings and the glazed figures and tiles that demonstrate the splendid work of the First Dynasty. A vase of Menes with purple hieroglyphs inlaid into a green glaze and tiles with relief figures are the most important pieces found. The Khufu Statuette in ivory, found in the stone chamber of the temple, gives the only portrait of this great pharaoh.[14]
The temple was entirely rebuilt on a larger scale by
Brewery
On 14 February 2021, Egyptian and American archaeologists discovered what could be the oldest brewery in the world dating from around 3100 BCE at the reign of King Narmer. Dr. Matthew Adams, one of the leaders of the mission, stated that it was used to make beer for royal rituals.[20][21]
Main sites
Seti I Temple
The temple of Seti I was built on entirely new ground half a mile to the south of the long series of temples just described. This surviving building is best known as the Great Temple of Abydos, being nearly complete and an impressive sight.[14] A principal purpose of the temple was to serve as a memorial to king Seti I, as well as to show reverence for the early pharaohs, which is incorporated within as part of the "Rite of the Ancestors".
The long list of the pharaohs of the principal dynasties—recognized by Seti—are carved on a wall and known as the "Abydos King List" (showing the cartouche name of many dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from the first, Narmer or Menes, until Seti's time). There were significant names deliberately left off of the list. So rare, as an almost complete list of pharaoh names, the Table of Abydos, rediscovered by William John Bankes, has been called the "Rosetta Stone" of Egyptian archaeology, analogous to the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian writing, beyond the Narmer Palette.[22]
There were also seven chapels built for the worship of the pharaoh and principal deities. These included three chapels for the "state" deities
Except for the list of pharaohs and a panegyric on Ramesses II, the subjects are not historical, but religious in nature, dedicated to the transformation of the king after his death. The temple reliefs are celebrated for their delicacy and artistic refinement, utilizing both the archaism of earlier dynasties with the vibrancy of late 18th Dynasty reliefs. The sculptures had been published mostly in hand copy, not facsimile, by Auguste Mariette in his Abydos, I. The temple has been partially recorded epigraphically by Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome in their 4 volume publication of The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos (1933–1958).
King's List
Osireion
The Osirion or Osireon is an ancient Egyptian temple. It is located to the rear of the temple of Seti I. It is an integral part of Seti I's funeral complex and is built to resemble an
Helicopter hieroglyphs
Some of the hieroglyphs carved over an arch on the site have been interpreted in esoteric and "ufological" circles as depicting modern technology.
The "helicopter" image is the result of carved stone being re-used over time. The initial carving was made during the reign of Seti I and translates to "He who repulses the nine [enemies of Egypt]". This carving was later filled in with plaster and re-carved during the reign of Ramesses II with the title "He who protects Egypt and overthrows the foreign countries". Over time, the plaster has eroded away, leaving both inscriptions partially visible and creating a palimpsest-like effect of overlapping hieroglyphs.[26][27]
Ramesses II temple
The adjacent temple of Ramesses II was much smaller and simpler in plan, but it had a fine historical series of scenes around the outside that lauded his achievements, of which the lower parts remain. The outside of the temple was decorated with scenes of the Battle of Kadesh. His list of pharaohs, similar to that of Seti I, formerly stood here; the fragments were removed by the French consul and sold to the British Museum.[14]
King's List
Umm El Qa'ab
The royal necropolises of the earliest dynasties were placed about a mile into the great desert plain, in a place now known as Umm El Qa'ab "The Mother of Pots" because of the shards remaining from all of the devotional objects left by religious pilgrims.
The earliest burial is about 10 ft × 20 ft (3.0 m × 6.1 m) inside, a pit lined with brick walls and originally roofed with timber and matting. Other tombs also built before Menes are 15 ft × 25 ft (4.6 m × 7.6 m). The probable tomb of
By the end of the Second Dynasty the type of tomb constructed changed to a long passage with chambers on either side, the royal burial being in the middle of the length. The greatest of these tombs with its dependencies, covered a space of over 3,000 square metres (0.74 acres), however it is possible for this to have been several tombs which abutted one another during construction; the Egyptians had no means of mapping the positioning of the tombs.[citation needed] The contents of the tombs have been nearly destroyed by successive plunderers; but enough remained to show that rich jewellery was placed on the mummies, a profusion of vases of hard and valuable stones from the royal table service stood about the body, the store-rooms were filled with great jars of wine, perfumed ointments, and other supplies, and tablets of ivory and of ebony were engraved with a record of the yearly annals of the reigns. The seals of various officials, of which over 200 varieties have been found, give an insight into the public arrangements.[30][14]
A cemetery for private persons was put into use during the First Dynasty, with some
"Forts"
Some of the tomb structures, referred to as "forts" by modern researchers, lay behind the town. Known as
Kom El Sultan
The area now known as Kom El Sultan is a big mudbrick structure, the purpose of which is not clear and thought to have been at the original settlement area, dated to the
See also
Notes
- ^ Peust, Carsten. "Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten" (PDF). p. 11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
- ISBN 9773053474.
- ^ "Tombs of kings of the First and Second Dynasty". Digital Egypt. UCL. Archived from the original on 6 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ Misty Cryer (2006). "Travellers in Egypt – William John Bankes". TravellersinEgypt.org. Archived from the original on 2016-08-14.
- ^ "Abydos town". Digital Egypt. UCL. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ a b Josephson, Jack. "Naqada IId, Birth of an Empire": 166–167.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ISBN 978-977-416-091-2.
- ISBN 978-1-58839-460-6. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-447-05838-4. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Chisholm 1911, p. 81.
- ^ Wilkinson (1999), p. 3
- ^ "The Funerary Enclosures of Abydos". Digital Egypt. UCL. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- ^ a b Harvey, EA24, p.3
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Chisholm 1911, p. 82.
- ^ Petrie, Abydos, ii.
- ^ Petrie, Abydos, i. and ii.
- ^ O'Connor, David (2009). Abydos: Egypt's First Pharaohs and the Cult of Osiris. Thames & Hudson. pp. 18–19
- ^ Stephen P. Harvey (25 June 2001). "Holy Abydos". Archaeology.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 81–82.
- ^ "Ancient mass production brewery uncovered in Egypt". Reuters. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ "5,000-year-old brewery, possibly world's oldest, uncovered in Egypt". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
- ^ Misty Cryer, "Travellers in Egypt – William John Bankes" (2006), TravellersinEgypt.org, web: TravEgypt-WJB Archived 2006-08-30 at the Wayback Machine: re-discovered Table of Abydos.
- ^ Caulfield, Temple of the Kings
- ^ Murray, The Osireion at Abydos
- ISBN 0-415-18589-0.
- ^ "The Abydos temple "helicopter"". Archived from the original on 28 July 2005.
- ^ "Helicopter Hieroglyphs Explained". raincool.blogspot.nl. 23 May 2010.
- JSTOR 43553796.
- ISBN 9781910634042.
- ^ Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. and ii.
- ^ Mariette, Abydos, ii. and iii.
- ^ Ayrton, Abydos, iii.
References
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abydos". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 81–82. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
- Ayrton, Edward Russell; William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1904). Abydos. Vol. iii. Offices of the Egypt Exploration Fund.
- Harvey, Stephen (Spring 2004). "New Evidence at Abydos for Ahmose's funerary cult". Egyptian Archaeology. 24. EES.
- Murray, Margaret Alice; Joseph Grafton Milne; Walter Ewing Crum (1904). The Osireion at Abydos. Vol. ii. and iii. (reprint edition, June 1989 ed.). B. Quaritch. ISBN 978-1-85417-041-5.
- Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. Routledge.
- Mariette, Auguste, Abydos, ii. and iii.
- William Flinders Petrie, Abydos, i. and ii.
- William Flinders Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. and ii.
External links
- "Abydos". Digital Egypt. UCL. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online, "Abydos" search: EncBrit-Abydos, importance of Abydos
- The Mortuary Temple of Seti I at Abydos
- University of Pennsylvania Museum excavations at Abydos