ABYDOS

• An Egyptian city lies in the eighth Nome of Upper Egypt, about 300 miles south of Cairo, on the western side of the Nile, and about 9.5 miles from the river.
• It spreads over 5 square miles and contains archaeological remains from all periods of ancient Egyptian history.
• It was significant in historical times as the main cult center of Osiris, the lord of the netherworld.
• The mouth of the canyon at Abydos, was believed by the Egyptians to be the entrance to the underworld!!!!!
• Abydos was the burial place for the first kings of a unified Egypt.
• Many burials there, still contains much funerary equipment. There were large amounts of different kinds of Egyptian pottery, and more than 200 wine jars. There were also about 150 labels of ivory or bone, many of which were apparently attached to linen bolts.
• The Northern cemetery was the principal burial ground for non-royal individuals at Abydos during the Middle Kingdom, and continued to be so used through the Graeco-Roman period.
• North Abydos contains an ancient settlement and also the remains of a large stone temple from the 30th Dynasty, along with a portal structure of Ramesses II, and a fairly recently discovered temple built by Tuthmosis III.
• The most striking standing buildings are the enclosure of King Khasekhemwy from the 2nd Dynasty, the well-preserved New Kingdom temples of Seti I (temple) and Ramesses II (temple) from the 19th Dynasty, and the walled enclosure now called the Kom es-Sultan, the location of the early town and main temple dedicated to Osiris.
• The 19th Dynasty Seti temple contains seven sanctuaries set in a row, each dedicated to a different deity, Ptah, Ra-Harakhty, Amun-Ra, Osiris, Isis and Horus. Seti I himself was included with his funerary shrine.
• The unusual L-shaped plan of the temple (which is one of a kind all over Egypt!!!!!) is caused by a southeast wing appended to the main rectangular-shaped temple.