Abydos

con·voy (kŏn'voi')
n.

1. The act of accompanying or escorting, especially for protective purposes.
2. An accompanying and protecting force, as of trucks or troops.
3. A group, as of motor vehicles, traveling together with a protective escort or for safety or convenience.

tr.v., -voyed, -voy·ing, -voys. (kŏn'voi', kən-voi')

Bright and early we get up to join the convoy for 7:45. Why we need a convoy I have no idea? but it does supply employment for many men. We are headed to Abydos and Dendara.





Some beautiful mosaics along the way.


It is sugar canning time. We saw the same scene for 3 hours as we drove squished into a small cab. The day was perfect and the views rural.








Yes all those shots did look the same....that was the point 3 hours of the same.




Entrance to Abydos



Abydos is the place of Osiris, God of the Netherworld. This is the first place the kings were buried from unified Egypt. I probably haven't explained that unification thing....Do you want me to....or just show pictures...ok, ok, I will explain. But later when we get to some of the symbols.


Mike and I were fascinated with their ability to bring light into a place. There were these square holes in the ceiling that let an amazing amount of light in. Here is Mike with a wee bit of sunshine.


There were several that formed an arch on the floor. I am sure before the place "settled" they were in a perfectly straight line.


A long, long, long time ago (3,900BC) 2 cities became wealthy, Nekheb in the north, Lower Egypt and Nehken in the south, Upper Egypt. Real original in their naming cities huh? They do it to confuse us now. For 900 years they thrived and ignored each other. Well as we all know all good things must be destroyed and ruined. So they started a war. Upper Egypt, in the south, would win and rule/dominate the rest of Egypt. Then along came Narmer and merged Upper and Lower Egypt and started the first dynasty. His symbol is the two crowns, white for Upper and red for Lower. You can see the crown on Horace, the bird looking dude. The white looks like a bowling pin and the red a line.


Here we have the lotus (Lower) and papyrus (Upper)


Cobra (Lower) and Vulture (Upper) on the dude on the right.

The crook and flail are two of the most prominent items. Kings held them across their chest. The crook, in the shape of a shepherd's staff, is a sceptre symbolizing government and that may be related to the concept of a good shepherd leading his flock.


I liked big dude pharaoh holding little dude pharaoh...no idea what it means.


Presenting god with a funerary neck piece.


I loved the way the made their symbols into people. (key of life)


(power)


Carrying the dead to the other side.


Thot was a bad, bad, boy and he was being punished so he had to write over and over again in cartouch language. "I will not make fun of the other gods."

This is actually the Abydos King List, or Abydos Table which is a list of seventy-six kings and pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, found on the walls of the Temple of Seti I.


The tombs just kept going.


Ok this once was a tomb. The green slime runs to the Nile about 5 miles and the depth is about 2.5 miles. There were large and small catfish in the slime.


Here is that sumo wrestling god again, Bes.


Notice the knot of louts and papyrus around their necks.





Canopic jars

The "guide" actually wanted extra money to take us to this secret tomb....it was an alley way.




Pretty impressive place. You can see one of the 4 temples here.