I think that one of the most important archaeological sites that we discussed throughout the course is the city of Abydos, and the numerous mortuary sites located there. Abydos was the first, true royal necropolis of ancient Egypt, and has served and continued to serve as an important source of our knowledge about ancient Egyptian society. The ancient Egyptians believed that Abydos was one of several doorways to the Duat, the Egyptian underworld, and as such is the cult center of the god Osiris. It represented an important connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and served great religious and spiritual purposes for the citizens of ancient Egypt.

The three main temples at Abydos are the Temple of Seti I, the Great Osiris Temple, an the Temple of Ramses II. These three are the most significant of more than ten originally constructed. The Temple of Seti I housed the Hypostyle Halls, the seven chapels, the Abydos Kings List, and a number of curious hieroglyphs throughout the temple. It was dedicated to the gods Horus, Osiris, and Isis, along with a number of other important gods and goddesses. The Kings List found here named 76 kings and pharaohs of ancient Egypt, while excluding some who were deemed unfit rulers by Seti I. While the Great Osiris Temple now lies in ruins due to its mud brick construction, its significance lives on as the origin site for the Festival of Osiris, dating back to the Old Kingdom. Interestingly, the Festival of Osiris, the god of death, was carried out during the time that the ancient Egyptians were planting their crops. The germination of the seeds they sowed represented the god rising from the dead, which was interpreted from depictions found at the Tomb of Tutankhamen. The festival began by depicting the violent murder of Osiris, Isis searching for his body, and his return as a god. The Temple of Ramses II is more contemporary, and contains important depictions of battles fought at the time.

The study of ancient Egypt gives insights into one of the most powerful ancient civilizations that reigned throughout history, and captures the importance of their culture, religion, politics, economics, and so much more. It seems as though there will never be an end to the archaeological exploration of their history, especially so long as it remains as spectacularly fascinating as we find it to be today.