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أبيدو | |
 Façade of theTemple of Seti I in Abydos, builtc. 1300 BCE | |
  Abydos Shown within Northeast Africa Show map of Northeast Africa Abydos Abydos (Egypt) Show map of Egypt | |
| Alternative name | Ⲉⲃⲱⲧ; Abedju |
|---|---|
| Location | El-Balyana,Sohag Governorate, Egypt |
| Region | Upper Egypt |
| Coordinates | 26°11′06″N31°55′08″E / 26.18500°N 31.91889°E /26.18500; 31.91889 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | First Dynasty toThirtieth Dynasty |
Abydos/əˈbaɪdɒs/ (Arabic:أبيدوس,romanized: Abīdūs orArabic:افود,romanized: Afūd;[1] SahidicCoptic:ⲈⲃⲱⲧEbōt) is one of the oldest cities ofancient Egypt, and also of theeighthnome inUpper Egypt. It is located about 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) west of theNile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns ofEl Araba El Madfuna andEl Balyana. In the ancientEgyptian language, the city was calledAbedju (ꜣbḏw orAbDw)(Arabic Abdu عبد-و).[2]The English nameAbydos comes from theGreekἌβυδος, a name borrowed by Greek geographers from the unrelated city ofAbydos on theHellespont.
Considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, the sacred city of Abydos was the site of many ancienttemples, includingUmm el-Qa'ab, a royalnecropolis where earlypharaohs were entombed.[3] These tombs began to be seen as extremely significant burials and in later times it became desirable to be buried in the area, leading to the growth of the town's importance as a cult site.
Today, Abydos is notable for the memorial temple ofSeti I, which contains an inscription from theNineteenth Dynasty known to the modern world as theAbydos King List. This is a chronological list showingcartouches of most dynasticpharaohs of Egypt fromMenes until Seti I's father,Ramesses I.[4] It is also notable for theAbydos graffiti, ancient Phoenician and Aramaic graffiti found on the walls of theTemple of Seti I.
The Great Temple and most of theancient town are buried under the modern buildings to the north of the Seti temple.[5] Many of the original structures and the artifacts within them are considered irretrievable and lost; many may have been destroyed by the new construction.
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| Name of Abydos inhieroglyphs | ||||
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Most ofUpper Egypt became unified under rulers from Abydos during theNaqada III period (3200–3000 BCE), at the expense of rival cities such asNekhen.[7] The conflicts leading to the supremacy of Abydos may appear on numerous reliefs of theNaqada II period, such as theGebel el-Arak Knife, or the frieze of Tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis.[6]
Tombs and at least one temple of rulers of thePredynastic period have been found atUmm El Qa'ab including that ofNarmer, dating toc. 3100 BCE.[8][9] The temple and town continued to be rebuilt at intervals down to the times of theThirtieth Dynasty, and the cemetery was in continuous use.[10]
The pharaohs of theFirst Dynasty were buried in Abydos, includingNarmer, who is regarded as the founder of the First Dynasty, and his successor,Aha.[11] It was in this time period that theAbydos boats were constructed. Some pharaohs of theSecond Dynasty were also buried in Abydos. The temple was renewed and enlarged by these pharaohs as well. Funerary enclosures, misinterpreted in modern times as great 'forts', were built on the desert behind the town by three kings of the Second Dynasty; the most complete is that ofKhasekhemwy, theShunet El Zebib.[12][10]
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From theFifth Dynasty, the deityKhentiamentiu,foremost of the Westerners, came to be seen as a manifestation of the dead pharaoh in the underworld.Pepi I (Sixth Dynasty) constructed a funerary chapel which evolved over the years into the Great Temple ofOsiris, the ruins of which still exist within the town enclosure. Abydos became the centre of the worship of theIsis and Osiris cult.
During theFirst Intermediate Period, the principal deity of the area, Khentiamentiu, began to be seen as an aspect of Osiris, and the deities gradually merged and came to be regarded as one. Khentiamentiu's name became anepithet of Osiris. KingMentuhotep II was the first to build aroyal chapel. In theTwelfth Dynasty a gigantic tomb was cut into the rock bySenusret III.[10] Associated with this tomb was acenotaph, a cult temple and a small town known as "Wah-Sut", that was used by the workers for these structures.[13] Next to the cenotaph at least two kings of theThirteenth Dynasty were buried (in tombsS9 andS10) as well as some rulers of theSecond Intermediate Period, such asSenebkay. An indigenous line of kings, theAbydos Dynasty, may have ruled the region from Abydos at the time.
New construction during theEighteenth Dynasty began with a large chapel ofAhmose I.[14] ThePyramid of Ahmose 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]
Seti I, during theNineteenth Dynasty, founded a temple to the south of the town in honor of the ancestral pharaohs of the early dynasties; this was finished byRamesses II, who also built a lesser temple of his own.[10]Merneptah added theOsireion, just to the north of the temple of Seti.[13]
Ahmose II in theTwenty-sixth 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 approximately 18 ft (5.5 m). depth of the ruins discovered in modern times; these needed the closest examination to discriminate the various buildings, and were recorded by more than 4,000 measurements and 1,000 levellings.[15][14]
The last building added was a new temple ofNectanebo I, built in theThirtieth Dynasty. From thePtolemaic times of the Greek occupancy of Egypt, that began three hundred years before the Roman occupancy that followed, the structures began to decay and no later works are known.[16][10]
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 theEarly Dynastic cemetery was the burial place of Osiris and the tomb ofDjer was reinterpreted as that of Osiris.[17]
Decorations in tombs throughout Egypt, such as the one displayed to the right, record pilgrimages to Abydos by wealthy families.[18]
From the First Dynasty to theTwenty-sixth Dynasty, nine or ten temples were successively built on one site at Abydos. The first was an enclosure, about 30 ft × 50 ft (9.1 m × 15.2 m), enclosed by a thin wall of unbaked bricks. Incorporating one wall of this first structure, the second temple of about 40 ft (12 m) square was built with walls about 10 ft (3.0 m) thick. An outertemenos (enclosure) wall surrounded the grounds. This outer wall was made wider some time around the Second orThird Dynasty. The old temple entirely vanished in the Fourth Dynasty, and a smaller building was erected behind it, enclosing a wide hearth of black ashes. Pottery models of offerings are found in these ashes and were probably the substitutes for live sacrifices decreed byKhufu (or Cheops) in his temple reforms.[19]
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 ofMenes with purplehieroglyphs inlaid into a green glaze and tiles with relief figures are the most important pieces found. TheKhufu 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 byPepi I in theSixth Dynasty. He placed a great stone gateway to thetemenos, an outer wall and gateway, with a colonnade between the gates. His temple was about 40 ft × 50 ft (12 m × 15 m) inside, with stone gateways front and back, showing that it was of the processional type. In theEleventh DynastyMentuhotep II added a colonnade and altars. Soon after,Mentuhotep III entirely rebuilt the temple, laying a stone pavement over the area, about 45 ft (14 m) square. He also added subsidiary chambers. Soon thereafter, in the Twelfth Dynasty,Senusret I laid massive foundations of stone over the pavement of his predecessor. A greattemenos was laid out enclosing a much larger area and the new temple itself was about three times the earlier size.[14]
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 KingNarmer. Dr. Matthew Adams, one of the leaders of the mission, stated that it was used to make beer for royal rituals.[20][21]
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The temple ofSeti 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 thecartouche name of many dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from the first,Narmer orMenes, 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 byWilliam John Bankes, has been called the "Rosetta Stone" of Egyptian archaeology, analogous to theRosetta Stone for Egyptian writing, beyond theNarmer Palette.[22]
There were also seven chapels built for the worship of the pharaoh and principal deities. These included three chapels for the "state" deitiesPtah,Re-Horakhty, and (centrally positioned)Amun and the challenge for the Abydos triad of Osiris, Isis and Horus. The rites recorded in the deity chapels represent the first complete form known of the Daily Ritual, which was performed daily in temples across Egypt throughout the pharaonic period. At the back of the temple is an enigmatic structure known as theOsireion, which served as a cenotaph for Seti-Osiris, and is thought to be connected with the worship ofOsiris as an "Osiris tomb".[23] It is possible that from those chambers was led out the great Hypogeum for the celebration of the Osiris mysteries, built by Merenptah.[24] The temple was originally 550 ft (170 m) long, but the forecourts are scarcely recognizable, and the part still in good condition is about250 ft (76 m) long and 350 ft (110 m) wide, including the wing at the side.[14] Magazines for food and offerings storage were built to either side of the forecourts, as well as a small palace for the king and his retinue, to the southeast of the first forecourt (Ghazouli, The Palace and Magazines Attached to the Temple of Sety I at Abydos and the Facade of This Temple. ASAE 58 (1959)).
Except for the list of pharaohs and apanegyric onRamesses 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, byAuguste Mariette in hisAbydos, I. The temple has been partially recorded epigraphically by Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome in their 4 volume publication ofThe Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos (1933–1958).
In The Gallery of Ancestors, also referred to as The Gallery of the List, one can find theAbydos King List. This list is depicted inlow relief, carved under the reign of Seti I, and it shows Seti and Ramesses making offerings to their royal ancestors.[25][26] These royal ancestors are the past kings of Egypt. Notably, some rulers, like the15th DynastyHyksos that ruled Egypt during theSecond Intermediate Period 1650-1550 BCE and the reign of the18th Dynasty hereticAkhenaten of theNew Kingdom 1550–1069, were omitted from the list, possibly due to being associated with periods of internal weakness and divisions.[27] The Gallery of Ancestors led into the storerooms and the desert behind the temple.
The Osirion or Osireon, meaning "Menmaatre beneficial to Osiris" sometimes called the Osiris Complex, is an ancient Egyptian temple.[28] 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 an18th DynastyValley of the Kings tomb.[29] This was possibly used in ritual purposes with the growing of barely that allowed for the symbolic representation of the resurrection of Osiris. Today parts of the Osierion contain water due to the Aswan Dam and rising floodwaters.
Some of the hieroglyphs carved over an arch on the site have been interpreted in esoteric and "ufological" circles as depicting modern technology, having been the subject ofpyramidology.
The "helicopter" image is the result of carved stone being re-used over time. The initial carving was made during the reign ofSeti 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 ofRamesses 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 apalimpsest-like effect of overlapping hieroglyphs.[30][31]
The adjacent temple ofRamesses 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 theBattle 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 theBritish Museum.[14]
Inside the temple once stood another Gallery of Ancestors. This list is also depicted in low relief, carved under the reign of Ramesses II, but is more damaged. The surviving fragments were removed by the French consul in 1837 and sold to theBritish Museum.[14]
The royal necropolises of the earliest dynasties were placed about a mile into the great desert plain, in a place now known asUmm 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 ofMenes is of the latter size. Afterwards, the tombs increased in size and complexity. The tomb-pit was surrounded by chambers to hold offerings, thesepulchre being a great wooden chamber in the midst of the brick-lined pit. Rows of small pits, tombs for the servants of the pharaoh, surrounded the royal chamber, many dozens of such burials being usual.[14] Some of the offerings included sacrificed animals, such as theasses found in the tomb ofMerneith. Evidence ofhuman sacrifice exists in the early tombs, such as the 118 servants in the tomb of Merneith, but this practice was changed later into symbolic offerings.
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.[34][14]
A cemetery for private persons was put into use during the First Dynasty, with somepit-tombs in the town. It was extensive in theTwelfth andThirteenth Dynasties and contained many rich tombs. A large number of fine tombs were made in theEighteenth toTwentieth Dynasties, and members of later dynasties continued to bury their dead here until theRoman period. Many hundreds of funeral steles were removed byAuguste Mariette's workmen, without any details of the burials being noted.[35] Later excavations have been recorded byEdward R. Ayrton, Abydos, iii.; MacIver,El Amrah and Abydos; andGarstang,El Arabah.[14]
Some of the tomb structures, referred to as "forts" by modern researchers, lay behind the town. Known asShunet ez Zebib, it is about 450 ft × 250 ft (137 m × 76 m) over all, and one still stands 30 ft (9.1 m) high. It was built byKhasekhemwy, the last pharaoh of the Second Dynasty. Another structure nearly as large adjoined it, and probably is older than that of Khasekhemwy. A third "fort" of a squarer form is now occupied by a convent of theCoptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria; its age cannot be ascertained.[36][14]
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 theEarly Dynastic Period. The structure includes the early temple ofOsiris.
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Abydos".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 81–82.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Landmarks ofAbydos | ||
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| Temples | | |
| Necropolises and tombs | ||
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