Temple of Seti I at Abydos

Seti I ruled Egypt ca. 1314-1304 BC and is well known for his building projects and military campaigns.

His mortuary temple at Abydos contains numerous architectural features - two vast courts, two hypostyle halls, a so called “butchery hall” and two Osiris halls, just to name a few. These contain numerous works of art.

It’s believed that Seti I’s son, Ramesses II, may have finished portions of the temple after his father died.

The temple is built mainly of limestone, although sandstone was used in some areas. The outer courts and there pylons are severely damaged, with little remaining of them.

Its first hypostyle hall was initially decorated with raised reliefs by Seti I. A raised relief is when the figure sticks out a bit from the walls. After Seti I’s death Ramesses II converted them to sunken reliefs and had them repainted.

The second hypostyle hall contains several bas reliefs - the figures are slightly above the surface while the background is completely flat. By Seti I’s death all the reliefs had been carved, although some had yet to be coloured.

A special feature is the Osireion. It is located at the rear of the temple and is meant to be a symbolic tomb for the god Osiris. It was built using large blocks of stone, in a style that is similar to the Old Kingdom. Archaeologists believe that it to dates to the reign of Seti I. It’s decorated with scenes from the Book of Gates, Book of the Dead and Book of Caverns.

Amice Mary Calverley, a Canadian Egyptologist, spent nearly 10 years drawing, in full colour, the various features and reliefs of the temple. She did this along with her friend Myrtle Broome. Their work was published in four oversized volumes, with a fifth and sixth volume that remain unpublished to this very day. Their work was financed by John Rockefeller Jr., a millionaire heir of John Rockefeller Sr., who was greatly interested in archaeology.