The recovery of a group of intact ceramic vessels of Ptolemaic date from the sanctuary area of a New Kingdom cult structure in North Abydos allows insight into the utilization of the structure long after its initial construction, providing evidence of a degree of continuity in the significance of the structure and its function as a locus of periodic votive activity associated with the local cult institution of Osiris. Such a long period of utilization, which spanned more than 1200 years, is unexpected for a relatively small structure situated at the periphery of the main Osiris Temple complex. The patterns of activity reflected in the material culture and the architectural modifications of the cult structure relate directly to broader developments in the ceremonial center of Abydos in Ptolemaic and Roman times. Engagement with the past phases of activity at the site formed an important aspect of these developments. The reconstruction of Ptolemaic phases of use that can be traced through preserved deposits associated with the New Kingdom cult structure also contributes crucial new archaeological evidence to the study of Egyptian religion and ritual practice during Greco-Roman period, an area of investigation that has been dominated by papyrological data. The present research provides a detailed description of the Ptolemaic votive deposits and an analysis of their archaeological context, situating them within the landscape of North Abydos and its local ceremonial cycle and exploring the ways in which the deposits contribute to an understanding of the changes that took place in the function of the structure within that ritual landscape. The interpretation of the ancient patterns of activity that these depositions reflect, in conversation with recent studies of religion during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, forms an important contribution to the emerging understanding of belief systems and ritual practice in the hinterland of Upper Egypt in Hellenistic times.
Votive Deposits of the Ptolemaic Period in North Abydos