Essay On Abydos

The site of Abydos is an outstanding example of Egyptian religious practices and culture. The site has many examples that exhibit its importance as a center for cult practices and religious beliefs in ancient Egypt. Abydos was home to great concentrations of people but it influenced many more than those that actually lived there. Abydos was never a center for political power but for a large part of the dynastic period in Egypt is was a significant area for its funerary and religious practices. Perhaps the most interesting of those influences were those surrounding Egyptian belief about the afterlife.

Abydos is located on the western side of the Nile, in between Asyut and Dendera. Almost directly across the Nile is Naga al-Deir and El Mashayikh, communities found just above Thebes. Many of the religious rituals of the ancient Egyptians as they were completed at Abydos and elsewhere were tied into the river Nile itself. The Nile was an important part of Egyptian life both in regard to their day to day livelihood and in regard to their concepts of the afterlife.

Abydos was a cultural and religious center that held importance not just for those that lived there but to the region as a whole. Many Egyptian pharaohs had temples built at Abydos for their worship after they had traveled to the afterlife. Not surprisingly, the more affluent Egyptians at Abydos had tombs constructed incorporating drawings and murals depicting servitude to the gods and other activities in which they expected to participate when they joined with the gods (Casson 42). Included in the tomb would be grave goods such as food, clothing, musical instruments and anything else that would make the afterlife more pleasant for the owner of...

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...ive Egyptian images took the place of those from Mesopotamia as the new kings focuses solely on their lands and responsibilities as great leaders of a great civilization. The focus moved away from man's dominion over the animals and towards the promotion of a national image and a spiritual unity.

In conclusion, Abydos was significant in its importance as a cult center and rich source of material for understanding the rich religious heritage of this period in Egypt’s history. The material culture of the site evidences remarkable wealth and power. It also indicates an integral connection between the living and the dead. The celebration of the cult of the dead, in fact, is one of the primary reflections of the site. Another predominating reflection of Abydos is the strong societal stratification and the division of labor that was necessitated by the temple culture.