The Ancient Egypt: The Temple of Seti I at Abydos .. ( Part 2 )

Historical notes

When Seti I, the second king of a new dynasty, came to the throne, he must have realised that he could offer no better proof of the legitimacy of his descent from the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt than by displaying an active regard for their souls' welfare .

In building this temple at Abydos, dedicated to the main gods of Egypt, and especially to Osiris, he caused the worship and ceremonies to centre around the paramount fact of his descent from the archaic kings, and of these kings' collective identity with Osiris . Seti I selected a stretch of desert land behind the town of Abydos for the site of his temple, about a mile east of the city of Thinis . If the reader will look at the plan of the building he will see that, unlike all other Egyptian temples, this building has a wing or annex on its east side ; and all those who have studied the building have come to the conclusion that the chambers forming this wing were originally intended to be built onto the south end of the axial line, but that for some unknown reason they were finally placed at the side . Mariette stated that the builders had struck rock at this point, and had had to extend their work eastward to avoid it ; but recent excavations behind the temple have shown that there is no such rock here, and indeed there is none within a mile of the spot . These recent excavations have disclosed a number of subterranean chambers and passages built at a later date in more or less the axial line, and these are evidently the buildings referred to by Strabo, who states that they led down to a spring which, rising here in the sand, discharged itself into a small channel, and so finally joined the Nile . The reason, then, for the turning aside of the back rooms of the temple is surely obvious : the builders found that they were approaching moist, unstable sand, upon which the foundations could never rest secure, and they were obliged to abandon all hope of building in this direction . Owing to the delay thus caused, the temple was many years in process of building, and was still unfinished at the death of Seti . It was completed, however, by Ramses II, his son, who, in spite of his many protestations of filial piety, placed his own name and figure as conspicuously as possible on all the walls, and even renamed the building after himself .

The chief feature of interest remaining at Abydos is the magnificent temple which was erected here by Seti I, and completed by his son Ramses II . The temple of Abydos is the first temple even approaching to completeness with which we have met in Egypt, those of Lower Egypt ( Delta ) having been so thoroughly ruined and wasted as to leave, in most cases, little more than the outline of their ground-plan . We should therefore note at the outset that Abydos, while one of the most beautiful of Egyptian temples, by no means conforms to the ordinary arrangement of an Egyptian temple . It is perhaps scarcely possible to speak of the normal Egyptian temple, for in most cases the original design has been so much added to and altered that the result is not a building which conforms to any single type, but rather one which is an aggregate of sacred structures pieced together without much regard to unity of design or architectural symmetry . This is one of the great defects of Egyptian architecture, which remains from first to last in the dynastic period rather like the architecture of a child building with a box of bricks . Yet there lies at the heart of the Egyptian conception of a temple a certain type, clearly defined and answering to certain requirements, which may be discerned beneath all the confusion of different periods and styles even in the greater dynastic temples, such as Karnak Temple or Luxor Temple, though it can only be seen in absolute clearness in temples of the Ptolemaic age and later, such as Edfu Temple and Dendera Temple, or in such minor dynastic buildings as the temples of Khonsu and Ramses III at Thebes . This normal type of Egyptian temple, if we may call it so, consists of the Pylon, with its two towers and the great gateway between them ; a forecourt which is surrounded by a colonnade, and which is therefore usually called the Peristyle Court ; a second columned court, in which the columns are spaced with a central nave and side aisles, and which is called the Hypostyle Court ; and a sanctuary, which may have a single shrine or several shrines, and which is generally flanked on either side by chambers devoted to the storage of ritual vessels and accessories . The arrangement of those successive courts is along a single axis in a straight line . At Abydos, however, this arrangement is departed from in an unusual fashion . Instead of a single sanctuary, or a triple one, for a divine triad, there are no fewer than seven sanctuaries . The central shrine is that of Amen-Re .

The forecourt and second court

The approach to the temple is from the north . The pylon is destroyed, and the first court has been almost completely ruined . Its south wall had reliefs of Ramses II, showing his wars and triumphs . The Pylons and Forecourt of the temple are still buried under the houses of the village, and the visitor first enters the open Second Court, of which only the southern end is now preserved . At this end there is a raised terrace, approached by a gently graded stairway ; and on this terrace rise the stumps of a single line of twelve square pillars, built, like the temple, of limestone, but having sandstone bases, which stood in front of the pylon, with three openings, which gave access to the second court . The reliefs of Ramses are continued on the back of this pylon . These pillars supported a roof which has now disappeared, and thus a kind of portico or pronaos was formed along the front of the main building . The reliefs on the pillars show Ramses II embraced by the principal gods of Egypt . On the outer walls of the main temple there is at the east end a long inscription which tells how Ramses II came to Abydos, and, finding the temple unfinished, decided to continue the building . Farther along (1) one sees a large figure of the king offering the symbol of Truth to Osiris, Isis, and his father Seti I . Next (2) there are the figures of Horus, Isis, and Seti I, after which (3) Ramses is shown standing beside a sacred tree, on the leaves of which Ptah writes his name, while Thoth records the number of his years . He is presented at the same time with the royal crook and flail by Harmachis ( Harakhte ), behind whom Osiris stands . Ramses is next (4) led forward by Horus (?) and Khnum, preceded by the standards of the Jackal which represents Wepwat ( or Wepwawet ) of the south, and that of the uninterpreted emblem of Thebes . The king then (5) addresses Osiris ; and on the west wall (6) there is a damaged scene in which he is shown slaughtering Asiatic prisoners before Amen-Ra .

The first Hypostyle Hall

One now enters the first Hypostyle Hall, the roof of which is supported by two rows of twelve columns . To obtain some idea of the magnificence of this hall, the visitor should look at it from the extreme east or west end, allowing the eye to travel down the whole length of the rows of columns . In the original plan this hall was entered from the Second Court through seven doorways, but all but two were later blocked up by Ramses II . Seven corresponding doors lead from this hall into the second Hypostyle Hall, from which again seven shrines open . These shrines from east to west are dedicated to Seti I, Ptah, Harmachis, Amen-Ra, Osiris, Isis, and Horus, the shrines of Osiris, Isis, and Horus are called the shrines of the Osirian triad ; and thus the two Hypostyle halls are also divided into seven sections, each dedicated respectively to one of these gods . The visitor, however, will find it best to examine all the main reliefs in this first Hypostyle Hall without regard to these divisions . Commencing from the first scene on the east side of the main entrance (7) one sees Ramses between Amen-Ra and Tum ( Nefertum ) of On, who throw over him the signs of " life " and " stability " . Above this the king is shown offering vases before a ram-headed form of Amen-Ra . Next (8) Ramses holds a religious standard before the shrine of Ptah ; and above this scene he kneels upon the symbol of the union of Upper and Lower Egypt, while the stems of the papyrus and lotus plants, emblematic of the two countries, are interlaced by Wepwat and Horus(?) . Ramses is then (9) shown worshipping Min, behind whom are the mystical insignia of his cult ; and above this the king draws by a rope the sacred barque of Seker ( or Sokar, the funerary god ), which rests upon a sledge . On the east wall (10) Ramses is purified with the water of life by Thoth and Horus ; and above this he performs a ceremonial dance before a seated figure of Ptah, behind whom stands the lion-headed consort of that god, Sekhmet . Next (11) he is suckled by Hathor of Per-Kau, Hathor of Alabastronpolis, Hathor of Diospolis Parva, and Hathor of Dendera ; and he is dandled by Isis(?) . This scene is intended to demonstrate the divine upbringing of the king ; and the next scene (12), which represents the god Khnum, who made man on a potter's wheel, presenting the newly-fashioned child to Ptah, is intended to show his divine origin . On the south wall between the doorways the reliefs continue . First (13) Ramses is introduced by Mut to Ptah and Sekhmet, and Ptah records his royal name . Above this he stands before a shrine containing the barque of Seker . Then (14) he is blest by Harmachis, while behind him stand two goddesses, one of which is Hathor . Above this he offers a figure of Truth to Amen-Ra and Hathor . Next (15) he makes an offering to Amen-Ra and Mut ; and above there is a variation of the same subject . Next (16) he offers kneeling statuettes to Amen-Ra and Mut ; and above this he burns incense before Amen-Ra and Khonsu . He is then (17) seen receiving the symbol of Jubilees from Osiris, and behind him stand Harsiesis ( or Horseisis, Har-si-Ese, " Horus, Son of Isis " ) and Isis . Above this his name is inscribed upon his shoulder by Thoth, in the presence of Osiris . He next (18) receives the royal cobra, the Hathor symbol, and a necklace from Isis, and the double crown from Horus . Above this he is suckled by Isis in the presence of Harsiesis . On the west wall (19) Ramses offers various golden symbols to Osiris, Isis, and Harsiesis ; and above this his name is written on the sacred tree by Thoth, he himself kneeling amidst the foliage . He is then (20) led by Wepwat of the south and by Harendotes to Hathor of Dendera ; and (21) he is purified with the water of life by Thoth and Harsiesis ; while above this he dances before a god and is embraced by other deities . On the north wall (22) he performs one of the well-known but little understood foundation ceremonies before Harsiesis , who projects towards him the symbols of " power ", " stability ", and " life " . Above this he worships Harsiesis . He then (23) performs the foundation ceremony of pegging out the limits of the temple in the presence of Osiris ; the goddess Safkhet, the patron deity of archives and records, assisting him . Above this he breaks ground with a hoe before Osiris . Finally (24) he receives life from Amen-Ra, while Osiris stands behind him ; and above this he offers incense and a libation to Amen-Ra .

The most famous and mysterious relief here are the so-called " The Helicopter hieroglyphs " . The image depicting or look like a modern vehicles or fighter machines like as helicopter, battle tank, submarine or blimp, and fighter plane or glider or a yacht, but I think we have another suggestion for this . The initial carving in sandstone and was made during the reign of Seti I, and the blue hieroglyphs says " He who repulses the nine [ enemies of Egypt ] ", which it was one of the names of Seti I . Later, this carving was filled in with plaster and re-carved during the reign of Ramses II, and the green hieroglyphs says " He who protects Egypt and curbs the foreign lands ", which was one of the names of Ramesses II .

The second Hypostyle Hall

The visitor has now seen the main reliefs in this hall, and should Pass through one of the seven doorways into the second Hypostyle Hall . The roof is supported by thirty-six columns, ranged in three rows , of which the third row stands on a raised platform or terrace, which forms the threshold of the seven sanctuaries . The first and the second rows are of the papyrus-bud type . The third row consists of cylindrical columns without capitals, a plain abacus on the head of the column supporting the architrave . The reliefs on the east and north wall of this hall do not attract one's attention . Those on the west wall, however, are perhaps the most beautiful temple reliefs now preserved in Egypt . From this point onwards practically all the workmanship is that of the reign of Seti I, and the superiority of these reliefs over those of Ramses II, which have already been seen, is at once apparent . Under Seti I Egyptian art reached one of its highest levels ; and the delicate cutting of the stone displayed here, and in his tomb and temple at Thebes, is worthy of the best periods of the old kingdom . The art of this period may be traced in its development from that of the early 18^th Dynasty with considerable clearness . One first finds a softening influence, perhaps due to Syria, in the art of Tuthmosis IV, which becomes very marked in the late years of Amenhotep III . Then follows the exaggeration of the new characteristics under Akhenaten, and the attempted return to the old canons under Tutankhamun . Under Horemheb the influence of Akhenaten is still marked, though, in the main, the style has returned to that of Amenhotep III . These varying characteristics are, however, solidified under Seti I ; but after this the art steadily deteriorates under the Ramesside Pharaohs . The scenes on this west wall have lost their original colour, but the white limestone only serves to increase their beauty . We first see Seti I (25) burning incense and pouring a libation before Osiris and Harendotes . Above this he kneels before a god . He next (26) presents offerings before (27) a shrine containing Osiris seated between the goddesses Maet and Renpet ( or Ronpet ) - the year-goddess - on the one side, and Isis, Amentet-Hapet ( a funerary goddess ), and Nephthys on the other . Above this he pours a libation before Osiris and Isis . He then (28) offers a figure of Truth to Osiris, Isis, and Harsiesis ; while above this he kneels before Horus and Isis, receiving the curved sword, the crook, and the flail from the former .