Now Available: “The Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos” by ISAW Researchers

By Marc LeBlanc
07/27/2015

Of all the enormous monuments throughout Egypt and Nubia that Ramesses II left behind, his temple at Abydos, built early in his reign, stands as one of his most elegant monuments, with its simple architectural layout and dramatic and graceful painted relief scenes. Though best known for its dramatic reliefs depicting the battle of Kadesh, the temple also offers a wealth of information about religious and social life in ancient Egypt. It reflects, for example, the strenuous efforts of the early Ramessides to reestablish the Osiris cult in Egypt -- and particularly at Abydos -- in the aftermath of the Amarna period.

The Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos, Volume 1: Wall Scenes was published in April 2015 by Lockwood Press and is the first of two volumes documenting the results of ISAW Research Affiliate Sameh Iskander and ISAW Research Associate Ogden Goelet’s work on the site. It presents more than 200 detailed line drawings -- accurately rendered according to modern epigraphical standards -- of the temple's carved relief scenes, placed alongside their corresponding full-color photographs. Volume 2: Pillars, Miscellany, and Inscriptions will be published in April 2016 and will contain additional elements of the temple, as well as translations of the inscriptions found in the temple.