The richness and beauty of the temple
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| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
The temple of Ramses II, located near Seti I's temple in Abydos, showcases remarkable richness and beauty. Though largely ruined today, it once stood as a testament to Ramses II's early reign. Despite modern destruction, remnants suggest its original grandeur, constructed with meticulous care and lavish materials. An inscription on the south wall reflects Ramses II's pride in building a magnificent and eternal temple from fine limestone of Ayan, dedicated to his father Unnofre (Osiris).
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| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
The temple boasted a magnificent double pylon of exquisite craftsmanship, adorned with granite portals and copper doors intricately wrought with figures in real electrum. Within, a grand sanctuary featured an alabaster seat mounted in granite, symbolizing the beginning, along with other luxurious elements. Among these were the meskhen chamber, considered the birth chamber of Osiris, housing his divine ennead, including his august father, and Re upon reaching heaven. Doorways were described, some crafted from black granite with copper-mounted doors inlaid with electrum, while others were of pink granite with doors fashioned from beaten bronze.
| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
| Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4 |
The description continues with an account of the temple's abundant endowment and the meticulous stocking of its treasury and gardens. Ramses II ensured the provision of permanent daily offerings for the god and filled the temple with an overflow of food, livestock, slaves, fields, and herds. The granaries brimmed with grain, the treasury glittered with costly stones, silver, and gold blocks, while the magazine teemed with goods from various lands. Gardens adorned with sweet and fragrant trees, reminiscent of those from the Land of Punt, were also planted.
Despite the ruins, traces of exceptional richness and beauty linger in the temple's remains. The remaining reliefs on the walls showcase a craftsmanship surpassing many temples of the era. Visitors are encouraged to explore the ruins, although the modern gate now marks the entrance to the Second Court, and the Forecourt lies partly buried under debris outside the protected area.
Certainly! Here's a concise summary of the previous paragraphs:
Despite much of its splendor now vanished, the scant remains affirm the king's justified pride. Walls were of fine-granite limestone, pillars of sandstone, door-frames of various granite hues, and the shrine crafted from alabaster. Some surviving relief-work exceeds typical standards of craftsmanship from the era.
The standard of craftsmanship during the reign is evident in the temple's finer work, characterized by low relief and brilliant coloring, particularly in the rear rooms. Coarser relief en creux is found in the outer court, vestibule, and adjoining rooms. A fragment of another king-list, akin to the one found in the Seti I temple, was also relocated to the British Museum from this temple.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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The external west wall once depicted episodes from the Battle of Kadesh, a significant event during Ramses II's reign, though only the lower portion remains today. This battle occurred in Ramses II's fifth year of reign and pitted the forces of the Egyptian Empire, led by Ramses II, against the Hittites under Muwatalli II. It was fought for control over the region situated between the two nations.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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The present entrance to the temple leads into what was once the Second Court. The First Court, mostly in ruins and buried, extends outside to the north and is still partially discernible. The entrance portal, crafted from pink granite, likely corresponds to one of the doorways mentioned in Ramses' inscription, featuring doors of beaten bronze. This inscription depicts the king making offerings to Osiris, with Thoth and Safkhet recording his jubilee.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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The Second Court featured a covered gallery around three sides, supported by rectangular pillars adorned with colossal figures of the king in the Osirid form. On the northern side, these figures stood on a raised platform, continuing along with a second row of square pillars to support a vestibule roof. Towards the inner, southern side of the court, a triple range of steps ascended to a terrace. Along the terrace's face ran a row of Osirid pillars, interspersed with plain rectangular pillars, forming a raised vestibule.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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The reliefs en creux in the Second Court offer significant interest. At the east end of the north wall, several scenes unfold: (1) Priests lead sacrificial offerings, including a bull adorned with flowers, an oryx, and a gazelle, towards the temple. (2) A procession emerges from the temple to meet the offerings, featuring men clapping, singing, blowing trumpets, and carrying festal banners. Following them is a chariot with groomed horses, nobles, soldiers with feathered headgear playing castanets, soldiers bearing shields, spears, and axes, and more standard-bearers. The scene concludes with negroes, one carrying a tom-tom, and Asiatics in long robes.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Continuing along the east wall, additional scenes unfold: (3) Priests lead fatted bulls, a calf, and offerings of geese, pigeons, bread, fruit, and more towards the temple. Further along, only the lower parts of reliefs depicting individuals carrying offerings are visible. However, towards the end, (4) the masonry is less damaged, revealing temple servants carrying dishes of food on their heads. Leading the procession is an individual carrying a statuette of the king on his shoulders, preceded by a Ritual-Priest burning incense. The temple scribe, equipped with pen and writing-tablet, and a priest displaying his baton of office, receive the offerings.
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On the opposite side of the court, the west wall is just tall enough to reveal the lower reliefs. Scenes depict: (5) Butchers slaughtering and preparing sacrificial bulls, and (6) servants rushing forward with the purified meat joints. Each joint is sanctified by the Libation-Priest, who carries a vase of holy water and presents the offerings to the scribe responsible for recording them. Additionally, (7) Bulls, antelopes, and geese are brought to the temple, and (8) received by a scribe who tallies their numbers on a tablet, a priest who burns incense, another extending his hand, and a Ritual-Priest holding his baton of office.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Upon ascending the low steps, one arrives at the raised Vestibule, characterized by the remnants of sixteen square pillars.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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On the east wall of the Vestibule, nine captives from the southern tribes are depicted, each with their names inscribed in ovals. Above each name, the head and shoulders of a typical negro rise. With the exception of Wawat, or Lower Nubia, these tribes are all situated above the Second Cataract.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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On the west wall, a comparable scene (10) displays nine captive Asiatic tribes.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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From this Vestibule, four small chambers branch off. In the Room of Hathor, a scene portrays the king extending his baton towards a damaged barque containing a statue of Hathor's cow suckling a small figure of the Pharaoh.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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In the Room of Ramses II, the king is depicted seated in a sacred barque resting upon a sledge, being pulled along by six figures representing the spirits of Eileithyia-polis or Nekheb (El Kab), and the spirits of Pe, a city in the Delta.
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The Room of the Union is too extensively damaged to be of significant interest.
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In the Room of Seti, one can discern the lower portion of a barque that once held a figure of Seti I.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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These four rooms, dedicated to the father of Ramses II, Ramses II himself, the Union, and Hathor, the goddess of birth and maternity, serve to illustrate Ramses II's succession to his father's divine rights. They thus serve as a fitting prelude to the scenes in the inner chambers, where Ramses II stands in the presence of the gods.
Entering the first Octostyle Hall through a significantly damaged grey-granite doorway, one finds the hall's roof, once supported by eight square pillars of sandstone, now mostly collapsed. Only the lower sections of the walls remain, adorned with a line of kneeling figures of Hapi, the Nile-god, each bearing a tray of offerings. A narrow staircase, once leading to the roof, is situated on the east side, with its southern end located within this hall. On the west side lies a chamber, the Room of Anhur, the local god of Abydos, where only the lower portions of the reliefs are visible.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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The Sanctuary, now heavily ruined, challenges one to imagine its original magnificence. The once grand pink-granite doorway has collapsed, though it was originally adorned with splendid doors of beaten bronze. The chamber's walls were constructed entirely of alabaster.
The Sanctuary, built upon a foundation of sandstone, featured walls entirely made of alabaster, adorned with reliefs and inscriptions, now mostly lost. At the chamber's end lay a group of five seated figures sculpted in grey granite, though now heavily damaged. These figures depicted Seti I, a Queen, Osiris, Ramses II, and another god or personage whose identity has been lost to time. This group symbolized the temple's purpose: the worship of Osiris as the king's ancestor, embodying the spiritual connection between Ramses II and his father Seti I. Within one of the temple's rooms, a list of kings was discovered, removed from the country many years ago. Thus, like the temple of Seti I, this sanctuary also served as a shrine to the deceased monarchs, whose virtues and divine rights were inherited by Ramses II.
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Ramses II Temple, Abydos Summary Part 4
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