Showing posts with label Seti I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seti I. Show all posts
Egypt: Tomb of Seti I Plan - Valley of the Kings - Part III Largest Tomb
Giovanni Belzoni, who discovered the tomb in 1817, was a circus man who originally came to Egypt to market an irrigation pump he had designed in England. The project fell through but he arranged the transportation of the colossal head of Ramses II from the Ramasseum to the British Museum in London.
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| This is a classical tomb that far surpasses all others in the Valley of the Kings both in size and in the artistic execution of the sculptured walls. Every inch of wall space of its entire 100 meter length is covered with representations which were carried out by the finest craftsmen. |
The second corridor (2), which is staircased, has thirty-seven forms of the Sun God depicted on the upper part of the recesses on both sides. As we descend to the third corridor , Maat, goddess of truth, faces us with outstretched wings above the doorway (r). Isis is represented on the left-hand side (d), and Nephthys (Nebethet) on the right (e), and they both kneel on the hieroglyph for 'gold' and place their hands upon a seal ring. Above them, on each side of the corridor, the jackal-god Anubis can be seen. The wall reliefs here have not been completed but we can see the outlines in black, the master's touch in red, and the accuracy with which the relief is carved from the bottom up wards.
Proceeding beneath Maat with her outstretched wings we pass into the third corridor (3), which has dramatic representations of the fifth hour of night from the fifth chapter of the Book of the Dead. Towards the middle of the left-hand wall (f) the sun-boat (damaged) is driven through the netherworld by seven gods and seven goddesses and in front of it march four gods and the goddess Isis. On the right-hand wall (g) the Sun God and his retinue are drawn through a land inhabited by demons and monsters (top and bottom rows) and we see a serpent with three heads, wings and human legs. But the Sun God is safe, drawn by Horus and Thoth (middle row) who carry an eye as a protection against evil. The ceiling is blackened from the candles of the early Christians who hid in the tomb, as it is believed.
From the third corridor onwards the quality of the color on the reliefs is superb. We now come to a small ante-chamber (4). The walls, both to left and right, show the Pharaoh between Harmachis and Isis offering wine to Hathor. We now enter a square chamber with four pillars (s) . On the pillars themselves the Pharaoh is shown before the various deities: Isis and Nephthys (Nebethet) the sister-wife and the sister of Osiris, Harbor the goddess of joy and love who was also the goddess of Dendera to whom the cow was sacred, Selket the goddess to whom the scorpion was sacred, Horus the universal Sun God, and Harsiesis and Harmaches who were special forms of Horus; also of course Anubis, the jackal-god of embalming. The walls, especially those at the sides, have marvelous representations of the sun travelling through the fourth region of the underworld. On the rear wall (h) Osiris is enthroned before Hathor while the Pharaoh is led into his presence by the hawk-headed Horus. This is a superb mural with intricate detail and rich color. Near the corner of the left-handwall (i) the four chief races of men known at the time stand before Horus: these are Egyptians, Asiatics with pointed beards and colored aprons, four backs and four Libyans with feathers on their heads and tattooed bodies.The chamber (6), situated to the right and entered via an arrow flight of steps, was never completed. Whether this was because it was discovered that the walls were of inferior material, or as a blind to mislead grave-robbers, is not known, but the sketches on the walls are bold and compelling and show the touch of a master craftsman. The original sketch was done in red. The corrections in black were probably the work of the senior artist , after which the carvers took over. The left-hand wall (j) shows the journey during the ninth hour of the underworld: the sacred cow, ram, bird and human head guarding the procession against the fiery serpents. On the rear-wall (k) is the tenth hour with the hawk joining the protective deities and the spirits carrying arrows and lances. On the right-hand wall (I) is the eleventh hour with the condemned in the lower row. The enemies of the Sun God are being burned under the supervision of the hawk-headed Horus in strange furnaces, whilst fire-breathing goddesses stand watch with swords.
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| (The picture above is for the ceiling of the tomb of Seti I at the Valley of the Kings) |
We descend a few more steps into a small corridor (8) which is decorated with texts of the ceremonies performed before the statue of the deceased Pharaoh in order that he may eat and drink in the hereafter. On the right-hand wall (n) is a list of offerings.
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The picture above is of an unfinished relief work at the tomb of Seti I |
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The picture above is for a scene from burial chamber of Seti I's tomb |
the tomb was discovered. It was made out of a single piece of alabaster, carved to a thickness of two inches and with the exquisite reliefs filled in with blue paste. This magnificent piece is comparable only to the alabaster vase found in Tutankhamun's tomb which is today in the Cairo Museum. The mummy, which was one of those found at Deir el Bahri (Hatshepsut's Temple), is in the same museum. The sarcophagus lies in the Soane Museumin in London. When Belzoni, who was commissioned to transport it, took it to the British Museum, the trustees considered the price set too high and the treasure was without a buyer until 1824 when Sir John Soane paid £2,000 for it. The decorations on the walls of the pillared portion of the hall show the journey through the first region of the underworld on the left entrance-wall (0) and through the fourth region of the underworld on the left-hand wall (p). In a small recess at the end of this wall (q) is a beautiful representation of Anubis performing theopening-of- the-mouth ceremony before Osiris. On the right-hand entrance wall (r) and the right-hand wall (s) are representations of the journey through the second region of the underworld. The vaulted ceiling has been painted with astrological figures. From early times, of course, the Egyptians had mapped out the heavens, identified some of the fixed stars and were able to determine the positions of others. This ceiling is unusual in that it has not been painted in the familiar balanced, repetitive form. Adjoining the tomb chamber are four side-rooms. The first one on the right (11) has the text of a myth that concerns the rebellion of mankind against the Sun God, their punishment and final rescue. On the rear wall is a magnificent relief of the heavenly cow of the myth supported by Shu, the god of the atmosphere,and bearing on its back two boats of the sun.
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| The Tomb of Seti I, Book of the Dead |
The Pharaoh will overcome. With the help of the Sun God the doors of the hereafter are open to him. He will enter with his valuables and possessions; with the ability to eat and drink; and imbued with life so as to reign again. This is his ultimate hope.
Egypt: Valley of the Kings Plans - Tombs of the Kings
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.
The Valley of the Kings, is situated about two miles inland from the edge of the valley. A tarmac road makes the distance seem short. Before its construction a visitor had a sense of the arid remoteness of the site chosen
by the Pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties for their tombs. There are over sixty in the valley of the Kings.
The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, as already explained, chose to separate their tombs from their mortuary temples as a safeguard against pillage, and to burrow through solid rock in an effort to ensure eternal seclusion. The actual tomb design was relatively uniform, differing only in length and in the number of chambers. There were usually three corridors, one following the other, leading to the inner chambers. High up on the walls of the second corridor were sometimes oblong recesses for the reception of the furniture and effects of the deceased. Alternatively other recesses or chambers were provided at the end of the third corridor for the same purpose. At the end of the third corridor was a door leading to an ante-chamber; the main hall or tomb chamber lay beyond. The roof of the tomb chamber was often supported by pillars and
small chambers led off it. In the center or to the rear was a crypt containing the sarcophagus, usually of red sandstone.A shaft, sometimes dropping to a depth of over six meters, was a feature of several tombs. Whether this was designed to discourage possible grave-robbers from proceeding further is not sure, though there are positive indications that this was their purpose; for example, the representations on the upper walls of the pit shaft were usually left unfinished with the outer frame of decoration missing, where as the chambers beyond the shaft were fully decorated. Another theory is that the shaft was for the drainage of rain-water; though rain is not common in Egypt the tomb designers may well have taken precautions against the possibility of seepage.
The concern of the Pharaoh was not with his death, which was inevitable, but that his journey to the hereafter should be as smooth as possible. There was no apprehension, no fear. Man continued lite after death in much the same manner as he had lived on earth, so long as the necessities for his existence were provided, safe-guards were taken to prevent his body from decay, and the religious formulas were scrupulously followed.
In the Middle Kingdom the religious formulas by which the dead were to triumph had been recorded both inside and outside the sarcophagus. Gradually the texts were elaborated and scrolls of papyrus were placed in the coffin as well. Enlarged over the years these gradually became uniform and the nucleus of what has
become known as the Book of the Dead.
The rock-hewn passages and chambers represent stages in the journey to the underworld, which was supposedly divided into twelve hours or caverns. The deceased sailed through them at night in the boat of the Sun God - in fact actually absorbed by him- and representations on the first corridors of the tombs often show the ram-headed Sun God surrounded by his retinue who are standing in a boat and temporarily bringing light to the places he -traverses. As they pass from one leg of the journey to another they have to go through massive gates, each guarded by huge serpents. These chapters of the formula are known as the Book of the Gates.
The forward corridors were generally devoted to Praises of Ra - hymns to be sung and illustrations of the ceremonies to be performed before the statue of the deceased Pharaoh to imbue it with eternal life. And finally the deceased reached the judgement seat of Osiris, King of the Underworld.
Osiris, the creator of law and agriculture, had once ruled on earth. With his wife and sister Isis at his side he had been a just and much loved ruler who was slain by his jealous brother Set. Set, as the myth goes, conspired against Osiris and at a banquet persuaded him to enter a chest which was then scaled and thrown into the Nile. It was carried down to the sea. The broken-hearted Isis wandered far and wide in tortured misery seeking the body of her loved one. Accompanied on her sad mission by the goddess Nephthys she eventually found the body entangled in a tamarisk bush in the marshes of the delta . She hid the body, but Set, out boar-hunting, found it and cut it into fourteen pieces, scattering it in all directions. Isis continued her mission, collected the pieces (at each spot a monument was erected, which accounts for the widespread myth) and sought the help of the jackal-god Anubis, who became god of embalmment , to prepare it for the netherworld. While he carried out her orders Isis wept and prayed and drew near her dead lord "making a shadow with her pinions and causing a wind with her wings... raising the weary limbs of the silent-hearted (dead), receiving his seed,and bringing forth an heir"
Isis, the myth continues, raised her son Horus in the marshes until he was strong enough to avenge his father's death by slaying Set. He then set out to seek his father and raise him from the dead. The risen Osiris, however, could no longer reign in the kingdom on earth and now became king of the underworld where, with Isis still at his side, he ruled below with the same justice as he had exercised above. Horus took over the throne of his father on earth.
On the walls of the tomb chamber, or in the rear corridors,are dramatic representations of the dangers carefully guarded against: enemies withdrawing the breath from the nostrils of the deceased; water bursting into flame as he drinks; foes robbing him of his throne, his organs and, worst of all, his very name, which would thus deprive him forever of his identity.
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings, which are guidebooks to the hereafter, give us an insight into the hopes, expectations and fears of the living Pharaoh. Very soon after his coronation he must have ordered the construction of these usually vast complexes. His artists made initial sketches on the walls. His artisans began to turn out the 403 Shawabti (little statues bearing the implements of labor and usually put in big wooden boxes in the tomb to save the Pharaoh from tedious work in the hereafter). Funerary furniture was designed and made. And since secrecy was vital, only the workers from the city at Deir el Medina toiled on the tombs and only the Pharaoh himself and the high priests knew the actual site.
It is probable that the priests actually possessed an architectural plan or blue print for the construction of tombs in the valley. Though none has ever been found , one cannot believe that a people capable of placing an obelisk of solid granite upright on a small rectangular base, of planning irrigation canals, and, with their obsession for accuracy, of dividing the year nearly 4000 years B.C. into 365 days and thus forming the basis of the calendar we use today, that such a people would hazard a guess about that most vital decision : where to dig a Pharaoh's tomb. Admittedly the first corridor of the tomb of Ramses III actually breaks through into
another tomb-that of Amen-mesis, one of the pretenders to the throne at the end of the 19th Dynasty - and is consequently diverted and continued to the right. While this might indicate the absence of any blueprint it may equally be the exception that proves the rule.
What a sad tum of fate that, despite the remoteness of the site, enforced secrecy, complexity of structure and diversion shafts, the tombs were robbed from earliest times! In fact they were probably penetrated soon after they were sealed. Lust for gold, though the main, was not the only reason for their violation. The sacred corridors were also penetrated by enemies of the Pharaoh who wanted to prevent him from continuing his rule in the hereafter. There has been vicious mutilation of some of the mummies. Ramses VI, for example, when unwrapped after having been found hidden in the tomb of Amenhotep II, was discovered to have been
literally hacked to pieces.
On the sarcophagi of Seti I and Ramses II are records of a century and a half of persistent effort by the priests to safeguard the royal mummies. Ramses II was first taken from his own tomb to that of his father Seti I. Later he was hidden in the tomb of Queen Inhapi . And finally he was placed in the shaft at Deir el Bahri. In
their haste to re-wrap and hide the mummies, the priests sometimes failed to take the necessary precautions; in the wrappings of Ramses I the body of an old lady was found! This was no isolated instance.
As we pass along the corridors of the violated tombs we wonder to what happy stroke of fortune we owe the preservation of one single tomb left intact. We wonder why the first robbers of Tutankhamun's tomb- and there are indications that it had been opened and re-sealed, never went hack to complete the job. When
Ramses VI had his tomb constructed above that of Tutankhamun the rubble undoubtedly fell and obliterated the latter's, but that was over a century later. Whatever the reason, it is thanks to the preservation of the tomb of Tutankhamun that we know the story of the lavish splendor, the artistic merit and the able craftsmanship of the 18th Dynasty. And if this was the tomb of Egypt's youngest, and one of its least significant monarchs, what unimaginable treasures must have been stolen from the tombs of Amenhotep the Magnificent , Ramses II who loved size and splendor, Seti I who encouraged an artistic revival, and Ramses III who was known as
the 'Wealthiest of Pharaohs'.
Explore all different parts of the Valley of the Kings in details:
Egypt : Kurna: Mortuary Temple of Seti I Plan, Luxor, Egypt.
Luxor, Egypt :
Seti I was the Pharaoh who fought against the Libyans, Syrians and Hittites in an effort to win back the empire of Thutmose III. He succeeded in reconquering territories spreading from Mesopotamia to the island of Cyprus and carried home vast treasures to adorn his temples, hath this one at Kurna and the marvelous one at Abydos. Seti encouraged art and architecture, and his two temples with no doubt hold some of the most exquisite relief work in the entire Nile Valley.Whilst approaching this 19th Dynasty mortuary temple it would be as well to remember that the execution of funerary art was inherited from long-established traditions and was considered sacred. Similar themes and unvarying treatment followed from one dynasty to the next, the only real difference lying in the competence of its execution. It is here that the real value of this temple lies. The reliefs show that craftsmanship had reached a remarkable stage of maturity. There is little doubt that the artists in Seti's reign were aware of foreshortening and knew how to cope with it. Yet they interpreted their figures as did the artists of the Old Kingdom, never violating the pattern of established art . They merely concentrated their efforts on precise and refined detail.
This temple, apart from being constructed to continue the cult of the deceased Pharaoh and to honor Amon, was also built in reverent memory of Seti's father, Ramses I, who died before constructing a temple of his own. It was not completed by Seti I, but by his son, Ramses II, who supplied the missing reliefs and inscriptions.
Of the original length of some 158 meters only about 47 meters of the temple remain, mostly the area containing the sanctuary, Its halls and ante-chambers. Most of the frontal courts and pylons are in ruin but because of the execution of the reliefs, a visit is immensely worthwhile. For example, just beyond the eight remaining columns of the colonnade are three doors leading to the inner part of the temple. The walls between, at, carry representations of the provinces of Upper Egypt - a woman and a man alternately - bearing dishes laden with flowers, cakes and wine (to the left) and similar representations of Lower Egypt (to the right), On their heads the former have lotuses, the emblem of Upper Egypt. The latter have papyri, that of Lower Egypt. Above the left-hand relief the Pharaoh offers incense to the barge of Amon carried by priests. And above the right-hand relief he appears before various deities. It is immediately apparent that the lines are sensitive and refined while the drawing is boldly executed.
The hypostyle hall which we enter through the middle doorway has slabs on the roof of the central aisle on which there are flying vultures, the winged sun-disc and the names of Seti I between two vertical rows of hieroglyphs. Low on the walls Set II and Ramses II are seen before various deities. At (b) and (c) are Mut and Hathor, nourishing Seti.
On each side of the hypostyle hall are three chambers. The last two on each side, (d), (e), (f) and (g), have fine reliefs which depict Seti offering incense or performing ceremonies in the presence of the deities. In chamber (d) Thoth, the God of Science, can be seen before the sacred barge of the Pharaoh (on the left-hand wall) while (on the right-hand wall) the Pharaoh is seated before an offering table. On the rear wall Seti is depicted as the god Osiris, seated in a shrine surrounded by deities. Chamber (h) bears the sunken, cruder reliefs of Ramses II, who enters the temple (to the right) and offers incense to Amon, Mut and Khonsu to the left).
Beyond the hypostyle hall is the sanctuary (B).which has four simple square pillars, and the decorations on the sidewalls depict Seti I offering incense before the barge of Amon. The base of Amon's sacred barge still stands here. The chambers beyond are in ruin.
In the right-hand division of the temple is a long hall of Ramses II (C). Again we can compare these sunken reliefs with those of the main building. They are clearly far inferior work.
On the corresponding left-hand division of the temple Is a small shrine constructed by Ramses I (D) and probably usurped by Ramses II. Adjoining it are three chambers. In the middle one. (i) Seti offers incense to the barge of Amon and, on the rear wall , is a stele shaped like a door, to Ramses II, who appears in Osiris form presided over by Isis as a hawk. The two flanking chambers have reliefs dating from Ramses II and show him before the deities.
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Showing posts with label Seti I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seti I. Show all posts
Egypt: Tomb of Seti I Plan - Valley of the Kings - Part III Largest Tomb
Giovanni Belzoni, who discovered the tomb in 1817, was a circus man who originally came to Egypt to market an irrigation pump he had designed in England. The project fell through but he arranged the transportation of the colossal head of Ramses II from the Ramasseum to the British Museum in London.
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| This is a classical tomb that far surpasses all others in the Valley of the Kings both in size and in the artistic execution of the sculptured walls. Every inch of wall space of its entire 100 meter length is covered with representations which were carried out by the finest craftsmen. |
The second corridor (2), which is staircased, has thirty-seven forms of the Sun God depicted on the upper part of the recesses on both sides. As we descend to the third corridor , Maat, goddess of truth, faces us with outstretched wings above the doorway (r). Isis is represented on the left-hand side (d), and Nephthys (Nebethet) on the right (e), and they both kneel on the hieroglyph for 'gold' and place their hands upon a seal ring. Above them, on each side of the corridor, the jackal-god Anubis can be seen. The wall reliefs here have not been completed but we can see the outlines in black, the master's touch in red, and the accuracy with which the relief is carved from the bottom up wards.Proceeding beneath Maat with her outstretched wings we pass into the third corridor (3), which has dramatic representations of the fifth hour of night from the fifth chapter of the Book of the Dead. Towards the middle of the left-hand wall (f) the sun-boat (damaged) is driven through the netherworld by seven gods and seven goddesses and in front of it march four gods and the goddess Isis. On the right-hand wall (g) the Sun God and his retinue are drawn through a land inhabited by demons and monsters (top and bottom rows) and we see a serpent with three heads, wings and human legs. But the Sun God is safe, drawn by Horus and Thoth (middle row) who carry an eye as a protection against evil. The ceiling is blackened from the candles of the early Christians who hid in the tomb, as it is believed.From the third corridor onwards the quality of the color on the reliefs is superb. We now come to a small ante-chamber (4). The walls, both to left and right, show the Pharaoh between Harmachis and Isis offering wine to Hathor. We now enter a square chamber with four pillars (s) . On the pillars themselves the Pharaoh is shown before the various deities: Isis and Nephthys (Nebethet) the sister-wife and the sister of Osiris, Harbor the goddess of joy and love who was also the goddess of Dendera to whom the cow was sacred, Selket the goddess to whom the scorpion was sacred, Horus the universal Sun God, and Harsiesis and Harmaches who were special forms of Horus; also of course Anubis, the jackal-god of embalming. The walls, especially those at the sides, have marvelous representations of the sun travelling through the fourth region of the underworld. On the rear wall (h) Osiris is enthroned before Hathor while the Pharaoh is led into his presence by the hawk-headed Horus. This is a superb mural with intricate detail and rich color. Near the corner of the left-handwall (i) the four chief races of men known at the time stand before Horus: these are Egyptians, Asiatics with pointed beards and colored aprons, four backs and four Libyans with feathers on their heads and tattooed bodies.The chamber (6), situated to the right and entered via an arrow flight of steps, was never completed. Whether this was because it was discovered that the walls were of inferior material, or as a blind to mislead grave-robbers, is not known, but the sketches on the walls are bold and compelling and show the touch of a master craftsman. The original sketch was done in red. The corrections in black were probably the work of the senior artist , after which the carvers took over. The left-hand wall (j) shows the journey during the ninth hour of the underworld: the sacred cow, ram, bird and human head guarding the procession against the fiery serpents. On the rear-wall (k) is the tenth hour with the hawk joining the protective deities and the spirits carrying arrows and lances. On the right-hand wall (I) is the eleventh hour with the condemned in the lower row. The enemies of the Sun God are being burned under the supervision of the hawk-headed Horus in strange furnaces, whilst fire-breathing goddesses stand watch with swords.
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| (The picture above is for the ceiling of the tomb of Seti I at the Valley of the Kings) |
We descend a few more steps into a small corridor (8) which is decorated with texts of the ceremonies performed before the statue of the deceased Pharaoh in order that he may eat and drink in the hereafter. On the right-hand wall (n) is a list of offerings.
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The picture above is of an unfinished relief work at the tomb of Seti I |
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The picture above is for a scene from burial chamber of Seti I's tomb |
the tomb was discovered. It was made out of a single piece of alabaster, carved to a thickness of two inches and with the exquisite reliefs filled in with blue paste. This magnificent piece is comparable only to the alabaster vase found in Tutankhamun's tomb which is today in the Cairo Museum. The mummy, which was one of those found at Deir el Bahri (Hatshepsut's Temple), is in the same museum. The sarcophagus lies in the Soane Museumin in London. When Belzoni, who was commissioned to transport it, took it to the British Museum, the trustees considered the price set too high and the treasure was without a buyer until 1824 when Sir John Soane paid £2,000 for it. The decorations on the walls of the pillared portion of the hall show the journey through the first region of the underworld on the left entrance-wall (0) and through the fourth region of the underworld on the left-hand wall (p). In a small recess at the end of this wall (q) is a beautiful representation of Anubis performing theopening-of- the-mouth ceremony before Osiris. On the right-hand entrance wall (r) and the right-hand wall (s) are representations of the journey through the second region of the underworld. The vaulted ceiling has been painted with astrological figures. From early times, of course, the Egyptians had mapped out the heavens, identified some of the fixed stars and were able to determine the positions of others. This ceiling is unusual in that it has not been painted in the familiar balanced, repetitive form. Adjoining the tomb chamber are four side-rooms. The first one on the right (11) has the text of a myth that concerns the rebellion of mankind against the Sun God, their punishment and final rescue. On the rear wall is a magnificent relief of the heavenly cow of the myth supported by Shu, the god of the atmosphere,and bearing on its back two boats of the sun.
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| The Tomb of Seti I, Book of the Dead |
The Pharaoh will overcome. With the help of the Sun God the doors of the hereafter are open to him. He will enter with his valuables and possessions; with the ability to eat and drink; and imbued with life so as to reign again. This is his ultimate hope.
Egypt: Valley of the Kings Plans - Tombs of the Kings
Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.
The Valley of the Kings, is situated about two miles inland from the edge of the valley. A tarmac road makes the distance seem short. Before its construction a visitor had a sense of the arid remoteness of the site chosen
by the Pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties for their tombs. There are over sixty in the valley of the Kings.The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, as already explained, chose to separate their tombs from their mortuary temples as a safeguard against pillage, and to burrow through solid rock in an effort to ensure eternal seclusion. The actual tomb design was relatively uniform, differing only in length and in the number of chambers. There were usually three corridors, one following the other, leading to the inner chambers. High up on the walls of the second corridor were sometimes oblong recesses for the reception of the furniture and effects of the deceased. Alternatively other recesses or chambers were provided at the end of the third corridor for the same purpose. At the end of the third corridor was a door leading to an ante-chamber; the main hall or tomb chamber lay beyond. The roof of the tomb chamber was often supported by pillars andsmall chambers led off it. In the center or to the rear was a crypt containing the sarcophagus, usually of red sandstone.A shaft, sometimes dropping to a depth of over six meters, was a feature of several tombs. Whether this was designed to discourage possible grave-robbers from proceeding further is not sure, though there are positive indications that this was their purpose; for example, the representations on the upper walls of the pit shaft were usually left unfinished with the outer frame of decoration missing, where as the chambers beyond the shaft were fully decorated. Another theory is that the shaft was for the drainage of rain-water; though rain is not common in Egypt the tomb designers may well have taken precautions against the possibility of seepage.
The concern of the Pharaoh was not with his death, which was inevitable, but that his journey to the hereafter should be as smooth as possible. There was no apprehension, no fear. Man continued lite after death in much the same manner as he had lived on earth, so long as the necessities for his existence were provided, safe-guards were taken to prevent his body from decay, and the religious formulas were scrupulously followed.
In the Middle Kingdom the religious formulas by which the dead were to triumph had been recorded both inside and outside the sarcophagus. Gradually the texts were elaborated and scrolls of papyrus were placed in the coffin as well. Enlarged over the years these gradually became uniform and the nucleus of what has
become known as the Book of the Dead.
The rock-hewn passages and chambers represent stages in the journey to the underworld, which was supposedly divided into twelve hours or caverns. The deceased sailed through them at night in the boat of the Sun God - in fact actually absorbed by him- and representations on the first corridors of the tombs often show the ram-headed Sun God surrounded by his retinue who are standing in a boat and temporarily bringing light to the places he -traverses. As they pass from one leg of the journey to another they have to go through massive gates, each guarded by huge serpents. These chapters of the formula are known as the Book of the Gates.
The forward corridors were generally devoted to Praises of Ra - hymns to be sung and illustrations of the ceremonies to be performed before the statue of the deceased Pharaoh to imbue it with eternal life. And finally the deceased reached the judgement seat of Osiris, King of the Underworld.
Osiris, the creator of law and agriculture, had once ruled on earth. With his wife and sister Isis at his side he had been a just and much loved ruler who was slain by his jealous brother Set. Set, as the myth goes, conspired against Osiris and at a banquet persuaded him to enter a chest which was then scaled and thrown into the Nile. It was carried down to the sea. The broken-hearted Isis wandered far and wide in tortured misery seeking the body of her loved one. Accompanied on her sad mission by the goddess Nephthys she eventually found the body entangled in a tamarisk bush in the marshes of the delta . She hid the body, but Set, out boar-hunting, found it and cut it into fourteen pieces, scattering it in all directions. Isis continued her mission, collected the pieces (at each spot a monument was erected, which accounts for the widespread myth) and sought the help of the jackal-god Anubis, who became god of embalmment , to prepare it for the netherworld. While he carried out her orders Isis wept and prayed and drew near her dead lord "making a shadow with her pinions and causing a wind with her wings... raising the weary limbs of the silent-hearted (dead), receiving his seed,and bringing forth an heir"
Isis, the myth continues, raised her son Horus in the marshes until he was strong enough to avenge his father's death by slaying Set. He then set out to seek his father and raise him from the dead. The risen Osiris, however, could no longer reign in the kingdom on earth and now became king of the underworld where, with Isis still at his side, he ruled below with the same justice as he had exercised above. Horus took over the throne of his father on earth.
On the walls of the tomb chamber, or in the rear corridors,are dramatic representations of the dangers carefully guarded against: enemies withdrawing the breath from the nostrils of the deceased; water bursting into flame as he drinks; foes robbing him of his throne, his organs and, worst of all, his very name, which would thus deprive him forever of his identity.
The tombs in the Valley of the Kings, which are guidebooks to the hereafter, give us an insight into the hopes, expectations and fears of the living Pharaoh. Very soon after his coronation he must have ordered the construction of these usually vast complexes. His artists made initial sketches on the walls. His artisans began to turn out the 403 Shawabti (little statues bearing the implements of labor and usually put in big wooden boxes in the tomb to save the Pharaoh from tedious work in the hereafter). Funerary furniture was designed and made. And since secrecy was vital, only the workers from the city at Deir el Medina toiled on the tombs and only the Pharaoh himself and the high priests knew the actual site.
It is probable that the priests actually possessed an architectural plan or blue print for the construction of tombs in the valley. Though none has ever been found , one cannot believe that a people capable of placing an obelisk of solid granite upright on a small rectangular base, of planning irrigation canals, and, with their obsession for accuracy, of dividing the year nearly 4000 years B.C. into 365 days and thus forming the basis of the calendar we use today, that such a people would hazard a guess about that most vital decision : where to dig a Pharaoh's tomb. Admittedly the first corridor of the tomb of Ramses III actually breaks through into
another tomb-that of Amen-mesis, one of the pretenders to the throne at the end of the 19th Dynasty - and is consequently diverted and continued to the right. While this might indicate the absence of any blueprint it may equally be the exception that proves the rule.
What a sad tum of fate that, despite the remoteness of the site, enforced secrecy, complexity of structure and diversion shafts, the tombs were robbed from earliest times! In fact they were probably penetrated soon after they were sealed. Lust for gold, though the main, was not the only reason for their violation. The sacred corridors were also penetrated by enemies of the Pharaoh who wanted to prevent him from continuing his rule in the hereafter. There has been vicious mutilation of some of the mummies. Ramses VI, for example, when unwrapped after having been found hidden in the tomb of Amenhotep II, was discovered to have been
literally hacked to pieces.
On the sarcophagi of Seti I and Ramses II are records of a century and a half of persistent effort by the priests to safeguard the royal mummies. Ramses II was first taken from his own tomb to that of his father Seti I. Later he was hidden in the tomb of Queen Inhapi . And finally he was placed in the shaft at Deir el Bahri. In
their haste to re-wrap and hide the mummies, the priests sometimes failed to take the necessary precautions; in the wrappings of Ramses I the body of an old lady was found! This was no isolated instance.
As we pass along the corridors of the violated tombs we wonder to what happy stroke of fortune we owe the preservation of one single tomb left intact. We wonder why the first robbers of Tutankhamun's tomb- and there are indications that it had been opened and re-sealed, never went hack to complete the job. When
Ramses VI had his tomb constructed above that of Tutankhamun the rubble undoubtedly fell and obliterated the latter's, but that was over a century later. Whatever the reason, it is thanks to the preservation of the tomb of Tutankhamun that we know the story of the lavish splendor, the artistic merit and the able craftsmanship of the 18th Dynasty. And if this was the tomb of Egypt's youngest, and one of its least significant monarchs, what unimaginable treasures must have been stolen from the tombs of Amenhotep the Magnificent , Ramses II who loved size and splendor, Seti I who encouraged an artistic revival, and Ramses III who was known as
the 'Wealthiest of Pharaohs'.
Explore all different parts of the Valley of the Kings in details:
Egypt : Kurna: Mortuary Temple of Seti I Plan, Luxor, Egypt.
Luxor, Egypt :
Seti I was the Pharaoh who fought against the Libyans, Syrians and Hittites in an effort to win back the empire of Thutmose III. He succeeded in reconquering territories spreading from Mesopotamia to the island of Cyprus and carried home vast treasures to adorn his temples, hath this one at Kurna and the marvelous one at Abydos. Seti encouraged art and architecture, and his two temples with no doubt hold some of the most exquisite relief work in the entire Nile Valley.Whilst approaching this 19th Dynasty mortuary temple it would be as well to remember that the execution of funerary art was inherited from long-established traditions and was considered sacred. Similar themes and unvarying treatment followed from one dynasty to the next, the only real difference lying in the competence of its execution. It is here that the real value of this temple lies. The reliefs show that craftsmanship had reached a remarkable stage of maturity. There is little doubt that the artists in Seti's reign were aware of foreshortening and knew how to cope with it. Yet they interpreted their figures as did the artists of the Old Kingdom, never violating the pattern of established art . They merely concentrated their efforts on precise and refined detail.
This temple, apart from being constructed to continue the cult of the deceased Pharaoh and to honor Amon, was also built in reverent memory of Seti's father, Ramses I, who died before constructing a temple of his own. It was not completed by Seti I, but by his son, Ramses II, who supplied the missing reliefs and inscriptions.
Of the original length of some 158 meters only about 47 meters of the temple remain, mostly the area containing the sanctuary, Its halls and ante-chambers. Most of the frontal courts and pylons are in ruin but because of the execution of the reliefs, a visit is immensely worthwhile. For example, just beyond the eight remaining columns of the colonnade are three doors leading to the inner part of the temple. The walls between, at, carry representations of the provinces of Upper Egypt - a woman and a man alternately - bearing dishes laden with flowers, cakes and wine (to the left) and similar representations of Lower Egypt (to the right), On their heads the former have lotuses, the emblem of Upper Egypt. The latter have papyri, that of Lower Egypt. Above the left-hand relief the Pharaoh offers incense to the barge of Amon carried by priests. And above the right-hand relief he appears before various deities. It is immediately apparent that the lines are sensitive and refined while the drawing is boldly executed.
The hypostyle hall which we enter through the middle doorway has slabs on the roof of the central aisle on which there are flying vultures, the winged sun-disc and the names of Seti I between two vertical rows of hieroglyphs. Low on the walls Set II and Ramses II are seen before various deities. At (b) and (c) are Mut and Hathor, nourishing Seti.
On each side of the hypostyle hall are three chambers. The last two on each side, (d), (e), (f) and (g), have fine reliefs which depict Seti offering incense or performing ceremonies in the presence of the deities. In chamber (d) Thoth, the God of Science, can be seen before the sacred barge of the Pharaoh (on the left-hand wall) while (on the right-hand wall) the Pharaoh is seated before an offering table. On the rear wall Seti is depicted as the god Osiris, seated in a shrine surrounded by deities. Chamber (h) bears the sunken, cruder reliefs of Ramses II, who enters the temple (to the right) and offers incense to Amon, Mut and Khonsu to the left).
Beyond the hypostyle hall is the sanctuary (B).which has four simple square pillars, and the decorations on the sidewalls depict Seti I offering incense before the barge of Amon. The base of Amon's sacred barge still stands here. The chambers beyond are in ruin.
In the right-hand division of the temple is a long hall of Ramses II (C). Again we can compare these sunken reliefs with those of the main building. They are clearly far inferior work.
On the corresponding left-hand division of the temple Is a small shrine constructed by Ramses I (D) and probably usurped by Ramses II. Adjoining it are three chambers. In the middle one. (i) Seti offers incense to the barge of Amon and, on the rear wall , is a stele shaped like a door, to Ramses II, who appears in Osiris form presided over by Isis as a hawk. The two flanking chambers have reliefs dating from Ramses II and show him before the deities.
Tags:
ancient egypt,
Egypt,
God of Science,
Hathor,
Isis,
Kurna,
Osiris,
Pharaoh,
Seti I,
Sunken
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