Stele

The curved shape is typical of stelae from Abydos in the Thinite period (around 3100-2700 BC). Abydos was one of the most sacred cities in ancient Egypt, being the burial place of the god Osiris, patron and judge of the dead, responsible also for bestowing life after death. From the Middle Kingdom onwards, the area around his temple, the Esplanade of the Great God, was covered with monuments erected by local dignitaries and high-ranking personalities, who thus left behind them traces of their pilgrimages. Divided into three registers, the stele is perfectly symmetrical, depicting two seated men holding a large staff and a sceptre and two other men standing. The engraved hieroglyphs painted in green are texts that describe offerings and are accompanied by the names and titles of the four figures shown: Sameres, Gouf, Iqer and Uzer.