Abydos: Did you mean...?

The temple in ancient Egypt was the home of the deity it was built for, and the clergy attended the statue of that god or goddess as they would a living person. Every temple was designed with a forecourt, a reception...

Egyptian relief of a harp player. 19th Dynasty, about 1295-1186 BCE. Abydos, Egypt. From The British Museum, (photo taken at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia)

One of the Egyptian king's principal duties was to defend and expand the borders of Egypt. This ivory label, once tied to a pair of sandals, depicts king Den smiting a foreigner from the east. Rock carvings of Den...

This limestone stela bears a sunk relief of a man. The man is standing and right-facing; he holds staves. At the lower right corner, a smaller scale figure of woman appears; she wears a a long dress and holds...

Monumental lists of past kings expressed the living ruler's legitimacy. Originally, Ramesses II was shown on the far right, honoring previous kings and the god Osiris. The kings were represented by their throne names, written...

A pharaoh was known primarily by his throne name. This was traditionally a statement about his divine father, the sun-god Ra, so all cartouches with throne names display a sun-god at the top. A king's birth...

Kneeling figure of Setau, Viceroy of Kush, holding a stela (stelophor).Limestone. New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II, 1279-1213 BCE. Probably from Abydos, Egypt. (The Neues Museum, Berlin, Germany).

On this sandstone stela, there are 10 lines of hieroglyphs inside the border line. The stela mentions the name of the guard of the bureau of fields, Sehetepibre (born of Ite). From the Tombs of The Courtiers...

Sobekhotep , the scribe of a wine-cellar, appears three times with his wife. In the mirroring scenes at the top, they worship the gods of Osiris (left in the form of a mummy) and Anubis (right, Jackal-headed). In the next scene...

From Abydos, Egypt. 19th to 20th Dynasties, circa 1295-1070 BCE. (The British Museum, London)