Abydos, Egypt

Name of Abydos in hieroglyphs

Abydos (Arabic: أبيدوس, Greek Αβυδος), one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, is about 11 km (6 miles) west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N. The Egyptian name was Abdju (technically, 3bdw, hieroglyphs shown to the right), "the hill of the symbol or reliquary," in which the sacred head of Osiris was preserved. The Greeks named it Abydos, like the city on the Hellespont; the modern Arabic name is el-'Araba el Madfuna (Arabic: العربة المدفنة al-ʿarabah al-madfunah).

Considered one of the most important archaeological sites of ancient Egypt (near the town of al-Balyana), the sacred city of Abydos was the site of many ancient temples, including a royal necropolis where early pharaohs were entombed. Abydos became notable for the Great Temple of Abydos, of Seti I, which contains a tunnel displaying the "Table of Abydos": a chronological list showing cartouche names of every dynastic pharaoh of Egypt from the first, Narmer/Menes, until the pharaohs of the last dynasty. A rare list of pharaoh names, the Table of Abydos has been called the "Rosetta Stone" of Egyptian archaeology, analogous to the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian writing, beyond the Narmer Palette. See details below.

Ancient site of Abydos

History

The history of the city begins in the late prehistoric age, it having been founded by the rulers of the Predynastic period, whose town, temple and tombs have been found there. The kings of the first dynasty, and some of the second dynasty, were also buried here, and the temple was renewed and enlarged by them. Great forts were built on the desert behind the town by three kings of the Second dynasty. The temple and town continued to be rebuilt at intervals down to the times of the 30th dynasty, and the cemetery was used continuously. In the 12th dynasty a gigantic tomb was cut in the rock by Senusret III. Seti I, in the 19th dynasty, founded a great new temple to the south of the town in honour of the ancestral kings of the early dynasties; this was finished by Ramesses II, who also built a lesser temple of his own. Merneptah added a great Hypogeum of Osiris to the temple of Seti. The latest building was a new temple of Nectanebo I in the 30th dynasty. From Ptolemaic times the place continued to decay and no later works are known.

Worship

The worship here was of the jackal god Upuaut (Ophols, Wepwoi), who "opened the way" to the realm of the dead, increasing from the first dynasty to the time of the 12th dynasty and then disappearing after the 18th. Anhur appears in the eleventh dynasty; and Anubis, the god of the western Hades, rises to importance in the Middle Kingdom and then vanishes in the 18th. The worship here of Osiris in his various forms begins in the 12th dynasty and becomes more important in later times, so that at last the whole place was considered as sacred to him.

Temples built

The temples successively built here on one site were nine or ten in number, from the 1st dynasty to the 26th dynasty. The first was an enclosure, about 30 × 50 ft., surrounded by a thin wall of unbaked bricks. Covering one wall of this came the second temple of about 40 ft. square in a wall about 10 ft. thick. An outer temenos (enclosure) wall surrounded the ground. This outer wall was thickened about the 2nd or 3rd dynasty. The old temple entirely vanished in the 4th dynasty, and a smaller building was erected behind it, enclosing a wide hearth of black ashes. Pottery models of offerings are found in the ashes, and these were probably the substitutes for sacrifices decreed by Khufu (or Cheops) in his temple reforms.

A great clearance of temple offerings was made now, or earlier, and a chamber full of them has yielded the fine ivory carvings and the glazed figures and tiles which show the splendid work of the 1st dynasty. A vase of Menes with purple inlaid hieroglyphs in green glaze and the tiles with relief figures are the most important pieces. The noble statuette of Cheops in ivory, found in the stone chamber of the temple, gives the only portrait of this greatest ruler.

The temple was rebuilt entirely on a larger scale by Pepi I in the 6th dynasty. He placed a great stone gateway to the temenos, an outer temenos wall and gateway, with a colonnade between the gates. His temple was about 40 × 50 ft. inside, with stone gateways front and back, showing that it was of the processional type. In the 11th dynasty Mentuhotep I added a colonnade and altars. Soon after, Mentuhotep II entirely rebuilt the temple, laying a stone pavement over the area, about 45 feet square, besides subsidiary chambers. Soon after Senusret I in the 12th dynasty laid massive foundations of stone over the pavement of his predecessor. A great temenos was laid out enclosing a much larger area, and the temple itself was about three times the earlier size.

18th dynasty

The 18th dynasty began with a large chapel of Ahmose, and then Thutmose III built a far larger temple, about 130 × 200 ft. He made also a processional way past the side of the temple to the cemetery beyond, with a great gateway of granite. Ramesses III added a large building; and Ahmose II in the 26th dynasty rebuilt the temple again, and placed in it a large monolith shrine of red granite, finely wrought. The foundations of the successive temples were comprised within about 18 ft. depth of ruins; these needed the closest examination to discriminate the various buildings, and were recorded by over 4000 measurements and 1000 levellings.

Nineteenth dynasty temples

Great Temple of Abydos

File:Abydos King List.jpg

Part of the Abydos King List

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, at {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:26|11|5.50|N|31|55|7.96|E| | |name= }}. This is the building best known as the Great Temple of Abydos, being nearly complete and an impressive sight. A principal purpose of it was the adoration of the early kings, whose cemetery, to which it forms a great funerary chapel, lies behind it. The long list of the kings of the principal dynasties carved on a wall is known as the "Table of Abydos" (showing the cartouche name of every dynastic pharaoh of Egypt from the first, Narmer/Menes, until the pharaohs of the last dynasty). So rare as a full list of pharaoh names, the Table of Abydos, re-discovered 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. There were also seven chapels for the worship of the king and principal gods. At the back were large chambers connected with the Osiris worship (Caulfield, Temple of the Kings); and probably from those chambers led out the great Hypogeum for the celebration of the Osiris mysteries, built by Mineptah (Murray, The Osireion at Abydos). The temple was originally 550 ft. long, but the forecourts are scarcely recognizable, and the part in good state is about 250 ft. long and 350 ft. wide, including the wing at the side.

Excepting the list of kings and a panegyric on Ramesses II, the subjects are not historical but mythological. The work is celebrated for its delicacy and refinement, but lacks the life and character of that in earlier ages. The sculptures had been mostly published in hand copy, not facsimile, by Auguste Mariette in his Abydos, i.

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, of which the lower parts remain. A list of kings, similar to that of Seti I, formerly stood here; but the fragments were removed by the French consul and sold to the British Museum.

The outside of the temple was decorated with scenes of the Battle of Kadesh.

Tombs

The Royal Tombs of the earliest dynasties were placed about a mile back on the great desert plain, in a place now known as Umm el-Qa'ab. The earliest is about 10 × 20 ft. inside, a pit lined with brick walls, and originally roofed with timber and matting. Others also before Menes are 15 × 25 ft. The tomb probably of Menes is of the latter size. After this the tombs increase in size and complexity. The tomb-pit is surrounded by chambers to hold the offerings, the actual sepulchre being a great wooden chamber in the midst of the brick-lined pit. Rows of small tomb-pits for the servants of the king surround the royal chamber, many dozens of such burials being usual.

By the end of the 2nd dynasty the type changed to a long passage bordered with chambers on either hand, the royal burial being in the middle of the length. The greatest of these tombs with its dependencies covered a space of over 3000 square yards (2,500 m²). The contents of the tombs have been nearly destroyed by successive plunderers; 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 ointment and other supplies, and tablets of ivory and of ebony were engraved with a record of the yearly annals of the reigns. The sealings of the various officials, of which over 200 varieties have been found, give an insight into the public arrangements.

The cemetery of private persons begins in the 1st dynasty with some pit-tombs in the town. It was extensive in the 12th and 13th dynasties and contained many rich tombs. A large number of fine tombs were made in the 18th to 20th dynasties, and later ages continued to bury here till Roman times. Many hundred funeral steles were removed by Mariette's workmen, without any record of the burials. Later excavations have been recorded by Ayrton, Abydos, iii.; Maclver, El Amrah and Abydos; and Garstang, El Arabah.

"Forts"

The structures referred to as "forts" lay behind the town. Known as Shunet ez Zebib is about 450 × 250 ft. over all, and still stands 30 ft. high. It was built by Khasekhemwy, the last king of the 2nd dynasty. Another nearly as large adjoined it, and is probably rather older. A third fort of a squarer form is now occupied by the Coptic convent; its age cannot be ascertained.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Encyclopædia Britannica Online, "Abydos" search: EncBrit-Abydos, importance of Abydos.
• Ayrton, Abydos, iii.
• Lumir G. Janku, 1996, "The Abydos Mystery" webpage: EnigmasOrg-Abydos.
• Mariette, Auguste, Abydos, ii. and iii.
• Murray, Margaret Alice, The Osireion at Abydos (Egyptian Research Account, 9 Ninth Year), Hardcover, reprint edition, June 1989 (from 1904), ISBN 1854170414.
• William Flinders Petrie, Abydos, i. and ii.
• William Flinders Petrie, Royal Tombs, i. and ii.

External links

• Great temple of Abydos plan

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