Abydos Temple
The Abydos Temple, also known as the Seti I Temple, is one of Abydos’ most important historical landmarks. Pharaoh Seti I started construction on the temple, and his son, King Ramses II, completed it. The Osireion is located in the back of the temple.
The temple is one of the most important in history. It includes crucial proof of ancient Egyptian beliefs. These beliefs are about the deity Osiris, his wife, the goddess Isis, and their son, Horus.
The account of Jesus’ birth from a virgin mother without a physical father incorporated the essence of the God Osiris myth. The Abydos Temple is dedicated to the worship of God Osiris. He was a powerful god in ancient Egypt who looked for his offspring and land.
Osiris was the God of All Gods of the Afterlife. He symbolized stability. The enormous Abydos Temple retains most of the hues of its representations. It also has beautifully preserved images that transport you to another time. The significance of the Abydos Temple stems from several specific images. These images were uncovered on the temple’s walls. They include depictions of the miraculous birth of the savior God Horus and the Kings’ List.
Abydos Temple & The Divine Birth of Horus:
Isis became pregnant and gave birth to Horus, even though his father was deceased. People expected Horus to defend them from his criminal uncle, Seth, and his terrible abilities. Isis became pregnant while a virgin with the magical powers of the gods Nephthys and Anubis. Horus, her son, was born without a physical father to rescue humanity. The walls of Abydos Temple portray scenes that depict this procedure, a key component of the Osiris mythology.
Abydos Temple Kings’ List:
The “Abydos King List” is a lengthy list of the pharaohs of the major dynasties, as acknowledged by King Seti I, etched on a wall. William John Bankes unearthed the Table of Abydos. We can call the Table of Abydos the “Rosetta Stone” of Egyptian archaeology because it contains an almost full list of pharaoh names. It is similar to the Rosetta Stone for Egyptian writing, beyond the Narmer Palette. Someone purposefully kept a few notable people off the list.
Helicopter hieroglyphs:
Over time, people have re-used carved stone, resulting in the “helicopter” image. Someone did the first carving during Seti I’s reign, and it means, “He who repels the nine [enemies of Egypt].” During the time of Ramesses II, someone filled in this sculpture with plaster and recarved it with the caption, “He who defends Egypt and overthrows distant kingdoms.” The plaster has worn away over time, leaving both inscriptions partially visible and creating a palimpsest-like appearance of overlapping hieroglyphs.
Dorothy Eady:
Dorothy Louise Eady, popularly known as Omm Seti, “mother of Seti,” was the caretaker of Abydos’ Temple of Seti I from 16 January 1904 until 21 April 1981.