The Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III at Abydos (Publications of the Pennsylvania-Yale Expedition to Egypt) (Yale Egyptological Series) (Yale Egyptological Studies)

Includes 171 figures and 112 plates, some in colour. Erected for pharaoh Khakaure-Senwosret III (ca. 1878-1841 BC) of Dynasty 12, the Abydos mortuary complex includes a subterranean royal tomb built beneath a peak anciently called Anubis-Mountain, and a mortuary temple named Nefer-Ka (Beautiful-is-the-Ka) established for the afterlife cult of Senwosret III. Although the Egypt Exploration Fund initially discovered and examined the site between 1899-1902, the Senwosret III complex has for the last century remained enigmatic, partially through virtue of its location at Abydos. It has often been identified as an Abydene royal cenotaph. In 1994 the University of Pennsylvania-Yale University-Institute of Fine Arts, NYU Expedition initiated a renewed program of excavation at South Abydos. A focus of this work has been a comprehensive investigation of the Senwosret III mortuary temple. Excavation of the temple's well-preserved architecture in tandem with work on its surroundings now provides the basis for a detailed reconstruction of this major Middle Kingdom royal mortuary temple. The volume includes six parts arranged in twenty-two chapters with three appendixes. Part I examines the organization of the Senwosret III complex as a whole. Part II is devoted to the architecture and functions of the containment building that housed the stone-built cult structure named Nefer-Ka . Part III examines the architecture, decorative and statue program of the cult building proper and presents a reconstruction of the building's layout and appearance. Part IV discusses the significant archaeological contexts that surround the temple including external activity areas, refuse deposits and the temple's ceramic assemblage. Part V includes publication of the seal corpus associated with the temple and presents a model of the temple's administrative structure based on institutional stamp seals and private name seals. Part VI examines the current evidence pertaining to the tomb enclosure and Senwosret III's subterranean tomb. The volume includes drawings and photographs of approximately one thousand objects. 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Erected for pharaoh Khakaure-Senwosret III (ca. 1878-1841 BC) of Dynasty 12, the Abydos complex includes a subterranean royal tomb built beneath a peak anciently called Anubis-Mountain, and a mortuary temple named Nefer-Ka (Beautiful-is-the-Ka) established for the afterlife cult of Senwosret III. Although the Egypt Exploration Fund initially discovered and examined the site between 1899-1902, the Senwosret III complex has for the last century remained enigmatic, partially through virtue of its location at Abydos. It has often been identified as an Abydene royal cenotaph. In 1994 the University of Pennsylvania-Yale University-Institute of Fine Arts, NYU Expedition initiated a renewed program of excavation at South Abydos. A focus of this work has been a comprehensive investigation of the Senwosret III mortuary temple. Excavation of the temple's well-preserved architecture in tandem with work on its surroundings now provides the basis for a detailed reconstruction of this major Middle Kingdom royal mortuary temple. The volume includes six parts arranged in twenty-two chapters with three appendixes. Part I examines the organization of the Senwosret III complex as a whole. Part II is devoted to the architecture and functions of the containment building that housed the stone-built cult structure named Nefer-Ka. Part III examines the architecture, decorative and statue program of the cult building proper and presents a reconstruction of the building's layout and appearance. Part IV discusses the significant archaeological contexts that surround the temple including external activity areas, refuse deposits and the temple's ceramic assemblage. Part V includes publication of the seal corpus associated with the temple and presents a model of the temple's administrative structure based on institutional stamp seals and private name seals. Part VI examines the current evidence pertaining to the tomb enclosure and Senwosret III's subterranean tomb. The volume includes drawings and photographs of approximately one thousand objects: relief, statue and architectural fragments, small objects, seals and seal impressions, and ceramics. In its overall characteristics, the Senwosret III complex is an innovative royal mortuary establishment. Although it has discernible roots in the preceding royal pyramid tradition, the complex as a whole displays traits which presage the New Kingdom format of royal burial complex in the Valley of the Kings. Its hidden tomb at the foot of Anubis-Mountain, paired with its cultivation-edge mortuary temple makes this site pivotal in the evolution of the Egyptian royal mortuary complex. The volume addresses our understanding of this site as either a cenotaph or burial complex for Senwosret III, and the cult of this king which was maintained at South Abydos for some 150 years until its decline at the end of the 13th Dynasty, ca. 1700 BC. "Two kilometers south of the main town of Abydos are the ruins of the mortuary complex of pharaoh Khakaure-Senwosret III (ca. 1878-1941 B.C.) of the 12th Dynasty. This royal cult complex, named Enduring-are-the-Places -of-Khakaure-true-of-voice-in-Abydos, includes a subterranean tomb located beneath a peak called Anubis-Mountain, and a mortuary temple named Nefer-Ka (Beautiful-is-the-Ka). Although the Egypt Exploration Fund initially discovered the site between 1899 and 1902, the Senwosret III complex has, for the last century, remained largely enigmatic. In 1994, the Pennsylvania-Yale-Institute of Fine Arts/NYU Expedition initiated a renewed archaeological program at South Abydos. One part of this work has been a comprehensive investigation of the Senwosret III mortuary temple. Excavation of the temple building, along with work on its surroundings, now provides the basis for a reconstruction of this major Middle Kingdom temple and new insights into the nature of the Senwosret III complex as a whole." "Although the stone core of the temple was dismantled in ancient times, the archaeological footprint of this building is well-preserved. The deposits surrounding the temple have in five seasons - 1994, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2004 - produced a significant body of evidence on the temple's organization. Besides the stone-built cult structure, the building housed the material and personnel involved in maintaining the cult of Senwosret III. Clay seal impressions record institutional designations as well as bureaucratic titles and permit reconstruction of the temples ritual, administrative and productive sectors, all overseen by the local mayoral office at South Abydos. The volume is organized into six parts with twenty-two chapters and three appendixes. Parts I-V focus on the mortuary temple, its history, architecture, decorative program, and mode of operation. Part VI discusses the associated tomb and the issue of the possible burial of Senwosret III at Abydos." "In its overall design the Senwosret III complex is an innovative royal mortuary establishment. Although it has discernible roots in the preceding pyramid tradition, the complex displays traits which presage the New Kingdom format of royal burial complex. With its subterranean tomb at the foot of Anubis-Mountain, and its cultivation-edge mortuary temple, this site is pivotal in the evolution of the Egyptian royal mortuary complex. The volume addresses our understanding of this site as either a cenotaph or burial complex, and the characteristics of the cult of Senwosret III as it was maintained at South Abydos for 150 years until it declined, ca. 1700 B.C., at the end of the 13th Dynasty."--BOOK JACKET The Abydos mortuary complex includes a royal tomb and a temple established for the afterlife cult of pharaoh Khakaure-Senwosret III. Excavation of the temple's well-preserved architecture in tandem with work on its surroundings now provides the basis for a detailed reconstruction of this major Middle Kingdom royal mortuary temple.