Religious ritual at Abydos (c. 1300 BC)

The great pharaoh of the XIX Dynasty, Sethos I, built his splendid mortuary temple at Abydos which was the traditional burial place of Osirirs, King of the Dead. It was completed ostensibly as an act of filial piety by his son, Ramesses II, who was responsible for much of its decoration. From the surviving reliefs on its walls the author reconstructs the rituals which were once performed within the building, paying special attention to the Daily Temple Ritual, the Ritual of the Royal Ancestors and the Osiris mysteries, so closely associated with the site. The spells are translated, the order of scenes is established and from these the first convincing picture of ancient Egyptian religious ceremonial emerges. The results are checked against the available evidence from other Pharaonic and Ptolomaic temples. --