Part 1.
In the ancient city and necropolis of Abydos (Egyptian Abdju), pharaoh Sety I commissioned a magnificent temple. Today, this monument is one of the finest in the country, a highlight of any trip. Sety’s work is complicated, with several components and structures worthy of discussion. So, this is part one of a multi-part tour through the complex. Today, we cover:
- The history of Abydos pre-Sety I.
- The modern experience of Sety’s temple.
- The Hypostyle Halls, the unique “Seven Chapels,” and the “Osiris Complex.”
- The meaning and symbolism of the Osiris religion as Sety shows it.
In future episodes, we will discuss the Osireion, the Abydos King List, and the known Priests/Staff who managed it.
Listen on 
Details and sources:
- Date: c. 1300 BCE—1292 BCE (temple unfinished at Sety I death).
- Images: For high-quality images of Sety’s temple, see:
- A.M. Calverley, The Temple of Sethos I at Abydos, 4 volumes, open access via Chicago University Publications.
- Wikimedia: Category: Temple of Seti I in Abydos.
- Flickr.com: Kairoinfo4u.
- Flickr.com: Heidi Kontkanen.
- Music intro and interludes: Keith Zizza.
- Music interludes: Luke Chaos.
- Sistrum interludes: Tahya / Hathor Systrum.
- Texts: Kenneth Kitchen’s Ramesside Inscriptions volume 1. Hieroglyph versions at Internet Archive, English translations at Abercromby Press.
- Texts: Full texts of the temple, including transliteration and translation: Rosalie David, Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018) at Egypt Exploration Society.
- Peter Brand, Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh, out now from Lockwood Press.
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Google Earth view of the Sety temple with noteworthy ancient features.
Temple façade (Dominic Perry 2022).
Plan of the temple (Calverley).
Anointing Horus (Adobe-Stock)
Horus and Osiris, in the Second Hypostyle Hall (Dominic Perry 2022).
Sety worshipping Horus and Isis (Calverley).
Mut, the Mother, adoring Sety (Dominic Perry 2022).
The Seven Chapels and Osiris Complex (Calverley).
Decoration between the Seven Chapels (Calverley).
The Osiris Complex Plan (Calverley).
The First/Inner Osiris Hall (Dominic Perry 2022).
Sety raising the Djed pillar for Isis (Will Tracy 2022).
The Chapel of Sety-as-Osiris (Dominic Perry 2022).
Horus anointing Sety-as-Osiris (Calverley).
Priests
Veronica
Paul
Ashley Welch
Martha Gill
Steven Feurer
Nidden
Kyla
Evan A
Kendra Jones
Andy & Chelsea Lientz
Meicost Ettal
Jolle Kirpensteijn
TJ Kahn
Terri Jones
Linda Yancey
Hereditary Nobles
Donald Johnston
Joel Hadary
Brian K Barnes
Joseph Stashkevetch
Thothotep
Misty Bastian
Grace Devery
Bethany Killian
TV Liew
Eddie, Ezma, And Russo Are Law Dogs But Not Legal Beagles
Rae Knowler
Jenny Granum
Joseph Snow
Dallas Robinson
Ronald Hall
Pat Remler
Rodney Shuff
Dr. A.J. Zwagerman
Karen
William Tracy
Andrew Flaherty
Anders Hegvik
Rabia Altaf
Shawn Knight
William Russell
David Pepper
Inkymonkey
Karin W.
James Waters
Stephen King
Jan Dodoo
Kate Potter
Peter Culicover
Katherine Lewis
Pernille Engberg
Simone
RA EGYPTIAN
Elna Nilsson
Skip Howard
Eric J Holmes
Sandi & Stuart
Chrissi Ross
Bibliography
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume I: The Chapels of Osiris, Isis, and Horus (1933) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-1-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-i-chapels-osiris-isis-and.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume II: The Chapels of Amen-Re, Re-Harakhti, Ptah, and King Sethos (1935) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-2-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-ii-chapels-amen-re-re.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume III: The Osiris Complex (1938) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-3-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-iii-osiris-complex.
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume IV: The Second Hypostyle Hall (1958) https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/misc/sethos-4-temple-king-sethos-i-abydos-volume-iv-second-hypostyle-hall.
- Capart, Abydos: Le Temple de Seti Ier (1912).
- S. G. Caulfield, The Temple of the Kings at Abydos (Sety I) (1989).
- David, Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018).
- J. Eaton, ‘The Festivals of Osiris and Sokar in the Month of Khoiak: The Evidence from Nineteenth Dynasty Royal Monuments at Abydos’, Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 35 (2006), 75–101.
- Mariette, Abydos: Description des fouilles (1869).
- O’Connor, Abydos: Egypt’s First Pharaohs and the Cult of Osiris (2009).
- Sety and H. el Zeini, Abydos: Holy City of Ancient Egypt (1981).
- Smith, Following Osiris: Perspectives on the Osirian Afterlife from Four Millenia (2017).
- Verner, Temple of the World: Sanctuaries, Cults, and Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (2013).
- H. Wilkinson, The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt (2000).
PHOTOS:
- M. Calverley, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, 4 volumes, 1933—1958. Open access via Chicago University Publications.
- Heidi Kontkanen: Egypt, Abydos 2007 and 2011.
- Kairoinfo4u: Abydos 2009 and Abydos Reloaded 2013.
Wikimedia (various): Category:Temple of Seti I in Abydos – Wikimedia Commons.
