Abydos
The importance of the town of Abdyos as a religious centre dates back to the dawn of the dynastic period. During the Old Kingdom, the original patron-god of Abydos had been Khenty-amentiu (“Foremost One of the Westerners”), the jackal-headed god of the local necropolis. However, by the Middle Kingdom, Khenty-amentiu had been subsumed into the identity of Osiris, king of the dead and lord of the underworld. As a consequence, Abydos became the national centre for the worship of Osiris and was believed to have been the place of his burial.
The graceful precinct of the temple of Seti I was a fitting tribute not only to his devotion to Osiris, but also to the national gods. Egyptian temples tended to be dedicated to either a single deity or a closely-knitted family ‘triad’. Here at Abydos, Seti tore up this blueprint. Uniquely, his temple consists of seven separate chapels, set up for the veneration of the two leading divine collectives. Firstly, the Osirian family of Osiris, his wife Isis and their son Horus; and secondly the three pre-eminent national gods of Amun, Re-Horakhty and Ptah. No less surprising was the inclusion of the seventh chapel in honour of a deified form of the king himself.
Seti’s temple was not just a national shrine to the gods of Egypt. It was a cult temple for Seti I as a god, both during life and after death. In that sense, it became a memorial centre for the preservation of his cult. The performance of regular rituals, and the endowment of lavish offerings, would help to sustain the memory of Seti. Indeed, it was a fitting counterpart to his “Mansion of Millions of Years”, his memorial temple in Western Thebes.
Date of Construction: Reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II (c. 1296 – 1212 B.C.)
Highlights:
Unique L-shaped temple complex
Excellence of low-relief decoration, distinctive of Seti’s reign
Suite of 7 inner sanctuaries
Gallery of the Lists
The Osireion
- An Introduction to Abydos - 2:13
- The Temple of Seti I - 2:51
- The First and Second Courts - 2:00
- The First and Second Hypostyle Halls - 2:00
- The Sanctuaries - 1:18
- The Sanctuary of Seti I - 1:30
- The Osiris Complex - 1:50
- The Hall of the Memphite Triad - 1:17
- The Gallery of the Lists - 1:36
- The Hall of Barques - 1:03
- The Slaughterhouse - 1:51
- The Osireion - 1:27
