island that was surrounded by canals that held the water.
The false SARCOPHAGUSof the pharaoh rested on the
island.
A portico opened onto a shrine, leading to the first
hypostyle hall that contained 12 pairs of papyrus
columns and elaborate and beautiful reliefs. Seven
chapels were also included in the design and led to a sec-
ond hypostyle hall that had reliefs of nome standards.
The gods honored in this section include PTA H, RÉ-
Harakhte, AMUN, Osiris, ISIS, HORUS, and PTA H-SOKAR.An
Osirian chapel leads to a cultic ceremonial hall with two
chambers. The Gallery of the King Lists is in this section,
alongside a Corridor of Bulls, and a shrine for a SOKAR
BOAT.
The original shrine on the site was possibly erected
in the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.). Seti I’s structure,
built on the foundation, was made out of quartzite, sand-
stone, and granite. Merenptah (1224–1214 B.C.E.) added
a long passage, decorated with scenes from the Book of
the Dead.
Osiris He was one of the most popular and enduring
deities of ancient Egypt, a symbol of the eternal aspira-
tions of the people and a god credited with civilizing the
inhabitants of the Nile Valley. His cult dates to the Old
Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.), when he assumed the roles
of other local deities, and continued into the Greco-
Roman Period (after 332 B.C.E.). Osiris’s earliest manifes-
tation was Asar, a man-headed god of agriculture.
ANDJETI was another fertility god who, united with
Khentiamentiu of ABYDOS in agricultural celebrations,
was absorbed into the Osirian cult in time. Possible DJED
pillar symbols date to the First Dynasty (2920 B.C.E.) at
HALWA N, and the cult is mentioned in the Fifth Dynasty
(2465–2323 B.C.E.).
Osiris appears to have been part of the Heliopolitan
pantheon and was mentioned in the PYRAMID TEXTS. His
cult gained early acceptance at Abydos and at BUSIRIS.He
was addressed as Wen-nefer, “the Beautiful,” and then
became Khentiamentiu, “the Foremost of the Western-
ers.” AMENTI, the West, always represented death and the
grave to Egyptians and in time symbolized paradise and
resurrection. Osiris was the Lord of Amenti in every
historical period after his introduction to the Egyptian
populace.
The traditions of Osiris were the basis for the god’s
cult, and a legendary account of his life is given in the
Pyramid Texts. Osiris was slain by his brother deity, SET,
and discovered by ISISand NEPHTHYS. The goddess Isis,
the wife of Osiris, stopped the corruption of his flesh and
brought him back to life, but Set attacked the body again.
A heavenly trial resulted, with Osiris accusing Set of the
murderous acts before the gods. Osiris was praised as a
patient endurer and ruler by the other gods during the
trial, but they condemned Set as an evildoer.
The death of Osiris and his resurrection played an
important part in the cult that became symbolic of the
rulers of Egypt in time. The dead pharaohs of Egypt
were considered embodiments of Osiris, having been
equated with HORUS, Osiris’s son, while on the throne.
Other aspects of Osiris’s cult included his dismember-
ment by Set and his reign in an ideal time before the
start of the nation, 3000 B.C.E., referred to as “the Time
of the Gods.”
The earliest representation of Osiris dates to the Fifth
Dynasty, when he was depicted as a man wearing a divine
wig. In subsequent eras he kept his mortal appearance,
but always in a mummified form, which was a symbol of
his funerary role. In the Middle Kingdom (2040–1640
B.C.E.) Osiris was depicted wearing the white helmet of
Upper Egypt, perhaps to designate the god’s origins. In
time he was normally portrayed wearing the atefCROWN,
the elaborate plumed headdress. In his hands he carried
the CROOKand FLAIL.
In the mortuary rituals, Osiris is the paramount
judge of the deceased Egyptians, who had to appear in
his Judgment Halls to face him and his companions, theOsiris 289An Osiride Pillar, a statue of Ramesses II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.)
depicting him as Osiris in the realms beyond the grave.
(Courtesy Thierry Ailleret.)