186: Sety in Abydos
The History of Egypt Podcast
Exploring the Sacred Architecture of Abydos
This chapter highlights the architectural and symbolic significance of the Temple of Seti in Abydos, contrasting its quiet majesty with larger temples. It also examines the temple's unique design, featuring seven shrines for various deities, reflecting Seti's intention to unify worship within a single sacred space.
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:
- Date: c. 1300 BCE—1292 BCE (temple unfinished at Sety I death).
- Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
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- Texts: Kenneth Kitchen's Ramesside Inscriptions volume 1. Hieroglyph versions at Internet Archive, English translations at Abercromby Press.
- Texts: Full texts of the temple, including transliteration and translation: Rosalie David, Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018) at Egypt Exploration Society.
- Peter Brand, Ramesses II: Egypt's Ultimate Pharaoh, out now from Lockwood Press.
Images: For high-quality illustrations and photos of Sety’s temple, see:
- A.M. Calverley, The Temple of Sethos I at Abydos, 4 volumes, open access via Chicago University Publications.
- Wikimedia: Category: Temple of Seti I in Abydos.
- Flickr.com: Kairoinfo4u.
- Flickr.com: Heidi Kontkanen.
- Music intro and interludes: Keith Zizza.
- Music interludes: Luke Chaos.
- Sistrum interludes: Tahya / Hathor Systrum.
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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