The Egyptians considered
Abydos a sacred site; it was the center of the Osiris cult. Many
cemeteries and temples were located there. From about the Middle Kingdom,
many Egyptians would try to make a journey there to place a stone or
wooden memorial (called a stele). This might show representations of the person
and their family (a few have shown sets of ears, a particularly special
type). The pilgrims to Abydos hoped that Osiris would recognize them from
the stele once they entered the afterlife.
Here is one example
displayed at the Rijksmuseum
van Oudheden,
but the museum has a large display of many stelae.
