Dig Days
Dorthea: Om-Seti
By
Zahi Hawass
As I wrote in my last column, meeting Mahmoud Saleh, the 12- year-old boy, and hearing the incredible story of his life and his passion for Egyptology reminded me of Om-Seti.
As a young, 21-year-old archaeologist I travelled to Abydos as an inspector of antiquities, accompanying the Pennsylvania--Yale expedition in their excavation.
At that time I was working in Middle Egypt at the well-known site of Tuna Al-Gabal where our great writer Taha Hussein has a magnificent house.
So I went to Abydos for the first time, the site was also known as Al-Araba Al-Madfouna because it houses the tombs of kings from the First Dynasty and those of the last two kings of the Second Dynasty. It also contains the oldest known mudbrick wall called Shonet Al-Zebib, built by Kha- Sekhenmy, the last king of the Second Dynasty. Abydos was also a sacred pilgrimage site for Osiris and almost every king in Ancient Egypt built a cenotaph or a chapel dedicated to the god of the afterlife.
Abydos is known for the large L-shaped temple of Seti I, built during the New Kingdom, that consists of seven unique chapels, each dedicated to a different god. However, the most interesting thing is that this temple is home to the Abydos List, a document that records the names of all kings who ruled Egypt from the First Dynasty to the 19th Dynasty reign of King Seti I. Behind the list is the Osirin, the symbolic burial of the god. The remarkable temple is one of the most beautiful decorated temples in Egypt.
When I first arrived in Abydos I was reminded of the story of Sir Flinders Petrie, the father of Egyptology, who excavated the early royal tombs and also discovered the tiny statuette of King Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid. The workmen found the body of the statuette without the head. It was only 7cm tall but he ordered his men to sift the sand for weeks until they found the head.
In Abydos we all lived in a house in the desert. David O'Conner and Kelly Simpson were in charge of the work and the team consisted of 20 young archaeologists. Two of my young colleagues, David Sims and Doug Connor, have remained my close friends all these years. David has lived in Egypt since he received his masters as a city planner and he has headed many important projects in Ismailia and Cairo.
I will always remember when my young colleagues and I met the remarkable English woman known as Om-Seti (Seti's mother). She had an armed guard who she called "my honey" and she gave him all the money that she earned. She used to enter the temple of Seti I without shoes, to show respect to the sacred place, and would sit on the floor and meditate. She could read the hieroglyphic inscriptions as if she were a priest who wrote them 3000 years ago. She spoke Arabic fluently and frequently came to visit our house to tell us her enchanting stories. After a few visits she started to bring me books to read in English which she would discuss with me once I had read them. After three months of living at the site I found that my English had greatly improved.
One day Om-Seti came and had dinner with us and she told us the story of her life. She was born in England and was given the name Dorthea but at a young age she started to talk about her son Seti. She believed that she had been an Ancient Egyptian in her previous life. Her father thought that she was crazy and sent her to a psychiatrist. As a young woman she left England and moved to Egypt and worked in Giza with Selim Hassan, the famous Egyptologist. She was an excellent drafts lady. She used to ink the hieroglyphic text as if she were an Ancient Egyptian artist. An Egyptian named Imam fell in love with her and they were married and had a son that she named Seti. The famous heart surgeon, Adel Imam, is the son of her husband and he looks like Ramses II, son of Seti I.
Eventually, Om-Seti left Giza and travelled to the south of Abydos where her "first son", or we can say "real son", Seti I lived and built the beautiful L-shaped temple. This place became her kingdom and everyone in the village loved her. She earned a lot of money from giving tours and lectures to tourists. Also, many foreigners sent her money. She gave all her money to the poor and to her guards. She only wanted one thing, to be buried near the temple.
A few months ago I was in Abydos and I went and visited her tomb. When I met Mahmoud I thought to myself that he could be another Om-Seti.
