Goddess Seshat and Ancient Public History: She Who Presides Over Words, Wisdom, and Historical Records

This is a photo taken at Abydos, Egypt, at the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Seti I. It is a view of a carved wall showing the goddesses Maat and Seshat. Her headdress may have been cut off in the photo.

Seshat is said to have a formidable presence in Seti's temple. There are several chapels in this building and in one there is an image Seti Pouring Libations for Osiris. Jimmy Dunn describes it this way on Tour Egypt: "In the chapel dedicated to Seti I, starting from the left, Seti is borne into the sanctuary, preceded by a sem-priest wearing the panther skin. Next, the king is brought into the presence of the gods who acknowledge and bless him. Here, Seshat, the consort of Thoth, wearing her seven-petaled headdress, writes the king's name for eternity."

There are other images of her in this temple, including the one at this link shared by Kairoinfo4u. And a link to another image can be found on Pinterest, which is described as "an outer door jam: in the Chapel of Isis, within the mortuary temple.

Caroline Seawright, in her article Seshat, Female Scribe, Goddess of Writing Measurement for Tour Egypt, describes the vast homage to Seshat in this temple. "The staircase of the temple bears an address in 43 columns of the goddess Seshat to the king (KRI I, 186-188). The text displays a rigid scheme that deals with the temple itself and its two groups of occupants (the king and the gods) and in which pseudo-verbal/ temporal aspects and non-verbal sentences/ a-temporal aspects alternate," she says. "At the conclusion of the address Seshat speaks, in order to fulfill her usual task of registering the divine kingship of the pharaoh as living Horus, according to the orders of Ra and the decree of Atum."

Seshats-speech-in-Seti-Is-Abydos-temple.pdf (356 KB)

You can read all of Seshat's speech in Seti I's Abydos temple here. Thanks to Timofey Shmakov, who translated and wrote this academic paper.

Sources:

Dunn, Jimmy (writing as Peter Rome). "Egypt: The Temple of Seti I and the Osireion at Abydos." Touregypt.net, 2020. http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/setiabydos.htm.

Kairoinfo4u. "Abydos, Temple of Seti I - Seshat." Flickr, February 21, 2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/manna4u/13925729167.

Pinterest. "Thoth and Seshat at Temple of Seti I, Abydos, Egypt | Egipto, Arte, Civilización Egipcia." Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/35817759521682434/.

Seawright, Caroline. "Egypt: Seshat, Female Scribe, Goddess of Writing Measurement, a Feature Tour Egypt Story." www.touregypt.net. Accessed April 28, 2023. http://www.touregypt.net

/featurestories/seshat.htm.

Shmakov, Timofey. "Seshat's Speech in Seti I's Abydos Temple." Www.academia.edu. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://www.academia.edu/15036204/Seshats_speech_in_Seti_Is_Abydos_temple.

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Official caption: Abydos, Egypt, the mortuary temple of pharaoh Seti I. View of a carved wall showing the goddesses Maat and Seshat. Contributor: Magica / Alamy Stock Photo. Date taken: 28 March 2010.

Seshat and Maat

Goddesses Maat and Seshat at the Mortuary Temple of Pharoah Seti I in Abydos, Egypt

Photo Credit: Magica / Alamy Stock Photo

Goddess Seshat and Ancient Public History:

She Who Presides Over
Words,
Wisdom,
and Historical Records

Seshat and Maat

Meet Goddess Seshat

Goddess Seshat at a Glance

Ancient Public Historian

Seshat in Egyptian Temples

Seshat in Museums

Seshat in Archives and Libraries

Modern Scribes

Seshat as a Star Goddess

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