ABYDOS
         Holy City of Ancient Egypt        

The city of Abydos (ancient name: "Abdjw" ) flourished from the predynastic period
(4000 BCE) of Egypt's history down through Christian times (about 641 CE).
The site of many tombs of predynastic rulers of ancient Egypt, the area soon grew
in religious importance as a cult center for Osiris, first during the Middle
Kingdom,when such a tomb of a First Dynasty king, Djer, was identified as the
"burial site of Osiris", the mythological god-king of the predynastic Egyptians
(referred to as "Osirieon"). This emphasis upon Osiris caused the city to become
a pilgrimage site, as well as a desired place for either direct burial or for the
erection of cenotaphs (monument erected in honor of a dead person whose remains
lie elsewhere). Festivals and the passion plays of Osiris' life and death were performed
here from about the 12th Dynasty (1985-1795 BCE) until the Christian era.

One of the most significant monuments on the area is that of the Temple of Seti I,
which is built to honor Osiris. It is believed that Seti's architects had planned a
classic Egyptian temple of straight proportions, but had to change directions when
foundation work accidentally uncovered the site of the Djer tomb, and its Middle
Kingdom references as the site of Osiris' burial.* Possibly out of piety,
the house of Seti I and Rameses II expanded and enhanced the Osirieon site, and
the passion plays of the Osiris cult were tied into the Seti I temple thereafter.

* This issue has been challenged in recent years, and thought now indicates that
additions of chapels may have caused the temple plan change.

 

Learn more about the Ancient City of Abydos
on the Web by visiting these sites!

Read about the site excavation work of the University of
Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvanian Abydos Research Site

Take a Virtual Tour of the Abydos Monuments
Virtual Tour

Look through the Temple of Seti I
(This Site is Under Revision/Construction at the Moment)

Learn more about the Osiris myth cycle
Osiris Myths

Research the Book of the Dead (Or, more accurately, "The Book of Coming Forth
By Day") for prayers and hymns to Osiris
Book of Coming Forth By Day

Study The Nefertum-Sokar Complex of the Temple of Seti I, Through Art,
Iconography and Translation by Geoffrey Graham of Yale University:
Sokar-Nefertum Complex, Translation and Iconography

NEW !

COMING SOON IN 2001!

A Review of the Abydos "Helicopter" Scene
at the Temple of Seti I at Abydos

Visit Us Again Soon!

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Interested in learning more about Abydos
and other topics in Egyptian religion and culture?

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