Part 1. In the ancient city and necropolis of Abydos (Egyptian Abdju), pharaoh Sety I commissioned a magnificent temple. Today, this monument is one of the finest in the country, a highlight of any trip. Sety’s work is complicated, with several components and structures worthy of discussion. So, this is part one of a multi-part tour through the complex. Today, we cover:
- The history of Abydos pre-Sety I.
- The modern experience of Sety’s temple.
- The Hypostyle Halls, the unique “Seven Chapels,” and the “Osiris Complex.”
- The meaning and symbolism of the Osiris religion as Sety shows it.
In future episodes, we will discuss the Osireion, the Abydos King List, and the known Priests/Staff who managed it.
Details and sources:
Images: For high-quality illustrations and photos of Sety’s temple, see:
Select Bibliography:
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume I: The Chapels of Osiris, Isis, and Horus (1933) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-1-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-i-chapels-osiris-isis-and.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume II: The Chapels of Amen-Re, Re-Harakhti, Ptah, and King Sethos (1935) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-2-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-ii-chapels-amen-re-re.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume III: The Osiris Complex (1938) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-3-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-iii-osiris-complex.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume IV: The Second Hypostyle Hall (1958) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-4-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-iv-second-hypostyle-hall.
- Capart, Abydos: Le Temple de Seti Ier (1912).
- S. G. Caulfield, The Temple of the Kings at Abydos (Sety I) (1989).
- David, Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018).
- J. Eaton, ‘The Festivals of Osiris and Sokar in the Month of Khoiak: The Evidence from Nineteenth Dynasty Royal Monuments at Abydos’, Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 35 (2006), 75–101.
- Mariette, Abydos: Description des fouilles (1869).
- O’Connor, Abydos: Egypt’s First Pharaohs and the Cult of Osiris (2009).
- Sety and H. el Zeini, Abydos: Holy City of Ancient Egypt (1981).
- Smith, Following Osiris: Perspectives on the Osirian Afterlife from Four Millenia (2017).
- Verner, Temple of the World: Sanctuaries, Cults, and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (2013).
- H. Wilkinson, The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt (2000).
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