The cemeteries and temples of Abydos

In 1899 Petrie left the Delta and began work at the important Upper Egyptian site of Abydos where he excavated the tombs of the earliest kings of Egypt in the Umm el-Qa’ab and the main temple of the god of the dead, Osiris. Society excavations continued at Abydos under the direction of (Henri) Édouard Naville (1844-1938), (Thomas) Eric Peet (1882-1934), Edward Russell Ayrton (1882-1914) and William Leonard Stevenson Loat (1871-1932), among others. During this time, the Society investigated the cemeteries around the lower desert edges as well as a cemetery of ibis mummies.

Excavations underway at the Osireion behind the temple of Seti I

Following the First World War, Henri Frankfort (1897-1954) resumed in work which had been started by Naville at the Osireion, the enigmatic structure behind the temple of Seti and out of this excavation arose a project to record the fine reliefs of the temple of Seti itself. This work was undertaken by Amice Mary Calverley (1896-1959) and Myrtle Florence Broome (1888-1978) and resulted in four sumptuous volumes in which the temple’s scenes and texts were recorded in minute detail, often in colour.

One of the fine reliefs in the temple of Seti I at Abydos

A watercolour by Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome during the epigraphic recording of the temple of Seti I at Abydos

Further reading

Calverley, A. M. and M. F. Broome. 1958. The temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, volume IV: the second hypostyle hall. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press.

Calverley, A. M. and M. F. Broome. 1938. The temple of king Sethos I at Abydos, volume III: the Osiris complex. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press.

Calverley, A. M. and M. F. Broome. 1935. The temple of king Sethos I at Abydos, volume II: the chapels of Amen-R?', R?'-?arakhti, Pta?, and King Sethos. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press.

Calverley, A. M. and M. F. Broome. 1933. The temple of king Sethos I at Abydos, volume I: the chapels of Osiris, Isis and Horus. Edited by Alan H. Gardiner. London; Chicago: Egypt Exploration Society; University of Chicago Press.

Frankfort, H. 1933. The cenotaph of Seti I at Abydos. London: Egypt Exploration Society.

Naville, É. 1914. The cemeteries of Abydos. Part I: 1909-1910. The mixed cemetery and Umm el-Ga'ab. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

Peet, T. E. and W. L. S. Loat. 1913. The cemeteries of Abydos. Part III: 1912-1913. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

Peet, T. E. 1914. The cemeteries of Abydos. Part II: 1911-1912. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

Petrie, W. M. Flinders. 1900-1901. The royal tombs of the First Dynasty, 3 vols. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.

Petrie, W. M. Flinders, E. R. Ayrton, C. T. Currelly, and A. E. Weigall. 1902-1904. Abydos, 3 vols. London: Egypt Exploration Fund.