Abydos

Abydos, ancient city of Egypt

Abydos (əbī`dəs), ancient city of Egypt, c.50 mi (80 km) NW of Thebes, near modern El Balyana. Associated in religion with Osiris, Abydos became the most venerated place in Egypt. It was the favorite burial place for the kings of the earliest dynasties, and later kings such as Seti I and Ramses II continued to build temples and sanctuaries there. Remains date from the I to the XXVI dynasty (3100–500 B.C.), and include large mud-brick-walled sanctuaries that predate the pyramids. A famous list of kings, found on the wall of the temple built by Seti I, has been valuable in determining the order of succession among the Egyptian kings from Menes to Seti.

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Abydos, ancient town of Phrygia

Abydos, ancient town of Phrygia, Asia Minor, on the Asian side of the Hellespont opposite Sestos, in present-day Turkey. It was originally a Milesian colony. Near there Xerxes built his bridge of boats in 480 B.C., and in 411 the Athenian fleet defeated the Spartans. A free city until it was taken by Philip V of Macedon in 200 B.C., it became a major city of Antiochus III. It was the scene of the story of Hero and Leander.

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Abydos

Sacred city, one of the most important archaeological sites of ancient Egypt. It was an area of royal cenotaphs of the first two dynasties and later a pilgrimage centre for the worship of Osiris. The pharaohs, including Thutmose III and Ramses III, embellished the temple to Osiris, and some pharaohs had cenotaphs at Abydos. The temple of Seti I, one of the most beautiful, has helped decode Egyptian history: in a long gallery is a relief, the so-called Abydos list of kings, showing Seti and his son Ramses making offerings to the cartouches of 76 dead predecessors.

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Abydos

Ancient Anatolian town northeast of modern Çanakkale, Turkey, on the eastern side of the Dardanelles. It was colonized c. 670 BC by the Milesians (see Miletus). Xerxes I crossed the strait on a bridge of boats to invade Greece in 480 BC. Abydos is celebrated for its resistance to Philip V of Macedon in 200 BC and for the legend of Hero and Leander.