Memory in progress
Even after all these steps, much more remains to be said about this stela. For the people commissioning them, the objects were of vital importance, so it comes as no surprise that a lot of thought went into their creation. The texts and images work together in order to create a perfect tribute to the deceased, to get the gods to like them, and to show their loyalty to the king.
Many aspects of this stela, most clearly its ‘appeal to the living’, refer to the active and social role it must have played (or have been intended to play) in the landscape of Abydos and Osiris’ cult and festivals there. Clusters of stelae and chapels would have been places where people came together to commemorate the deceased by interacting with stelae like this one. In this way the stela’s owner(s) would be continuously remembered, as well as always be able to participate in the festivals of Osiris.
It continues to be worthwhile to study ancient monuments such as these, as exploring their texts, images and symbolism brings us closer to the people behind them; from the deceased and his family to the artist, and the world they lived in.
And just so you know: Sehetepibreankh would probably have been most pleased with this story, and the fact that you are reading it, as through our reading, writing, and thinking about him, he and his family are being remembered once more.