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36-565: The remains of the ancient settlement of Edfu are situated about 50 m to the west of the Ptolemaic temple – to the left of the older temple pylon . This settlement is known as Wetjeset-hor and the Greek name was Apollinopolis Magna ( Ancient Greek : Apollinòpolis , Απολλινόπολις ). According to Notitia Dignitatum , part of Legio II Traiana Fortis was camped in Apollo superior , which

72-554: A larger power in their areas, away from the royal central authority. The town is known for the major Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 BC and 57 BC, into the reign of Cleopatra VII . Of all the temple remains in Egypt , the Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple, oriented east to west, facing towards

108-414: A number of the Ptolemaic dynasty members as extremely obese , while sculptures and coins reveal prominent eyes and swollen necks. Familial Graves' disease could explain the swollen necks and eye prominence ( exophthalmos ), although this is unlikely to occur in the presence of morbid obesity. This is all likely due to inbreeding depression . In view of the familial nature of these findings, members of

144-1038: A present height of 5.5 m. The pyramid has been loosely attributed to King Huni of the Third Dynasty . The purpose of these pyramids is unknown. Further investigations and a detailed survey are carried out by the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago since 2010. In the Hellenistic period and under the Roman Empire , the city was known as Apollonopolis Magna or Apollinopolis Magna ( Greek : πόλις μεγάλη Ἀπόλλωνος , Strabo xvii. p. 817; Agartharch. p. 22; Plin. v. 9. s. 11; Plut. Is. et Osir. 50; Aelian. Hist. An. x. 2; Ptol. iv. 5. § 70; Ἀπολλωνία , Steph. Byzant. s. v. ; Ἀπολλωνιάς , Hierocl. p. 732; It. Ant. p. 160, 174; Not. Imp. Orient. c. 143; Latin : Apollonos Superioris [urbs]). Ptolemy assigns Apollinopolis to

180-492: A triad with the goddess Athor and Hor-Senet . The members of the triad are youthful gods, pointing their fingers towards their mouths, and before the decipherment of the hieroglyphics were regarded as figures of Harpocrates. The entrance into the larger temple of Apollinopolis is a gateway (πυλών) 50 feet high, flanked by two converging wings (πτερά) in the form of truncated pyramids, rising to 107 feet (33 m). The wings contain ten stories, are pierced by round loop-holes for

216-443: A triple row of columns, six in each row, with variously and gracefully foliaged capitals. The temple is 145 feet (44 m) wide, and 424 feet (129 m) long from the entrance to the opposite end. Every part of the walls is covered with hieroglyphics, and the main court ascends gradually to the pronaos by broad steps. The whole area of the building was surrounded by a wall 20 feet (6.1 m) high, of great thickness. Like so many of

252-542: Is a monumental gate of an Egyptian temple (Egyptian: bxn.t in the Manuel de Codage transliteration ). The word comes from the Greek term πυλών 'gate'. It consists of two pyramidal towers, each tapered and surmounted by a cornice , joined by a less elevated section enclosing the entrance between them. The gate was generally about half the height of the towers. Contemporary paintings of pylons show them with long poles flying banners. In ancient Egyptian religion ,

288-433: Is in good preservation, and is being excavated. The smaller temple, sometimes, but improperly, called a Typhonium, is apparently an appendage of the former, and its sculptures represent the birth and education of the youthful deity, Horus , whose parents Noum , or Kneph and Athor , were worshipped in the larger edifice. The principal temple is dedicated to Noum, whose symbol is the disc of the sun, supported by two asps and

324-679: The somatophylakes (bodyguard companions) of Alexander the Great , was appointed satrap of Egypt after Alexander's death in 323 BC. In 305 BC he declared himself Pharaoh Ptolemy I, later known as Sōter "Saviour". The Egyptians soon accepted the Ptolemies as the successors to the pharaohs of independent Egypt. The new dynasty adopted the Egyptian titles and iconography, showing respect to local traditions, while also preserving their own Greek language and culture. The Ptolemaic period

360-482: The Cup of the Ptolemies represent the regnal dates of the Ptolemaic pharaohs. They frequently ruled jointly with their wives, who were often also their sisters, aunts or cousins. Several queens exercised regal authority. Of these, one of the last and most famous was Cleopatra ("Cleopatra VII Philopator", 51–30 BC), with her two brothers and her son serving as successive nominal co-rulers . Several systems exist for numbering

396-624: The Hermonthite nome , but it was more commonly regarded as the capital town of the nome Apollopolites . Under the Roman emperors it was the headquarters of the Legio II Trajana . Its inhabitants were enemies of the crocodile and its worshippers. The ancient city derived its principal reputation from two temples, which are considered second only to the Temple of Dendera as specimens of the sacred structures of Egypt. The larger temple

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432-653: The Lagid dynasty ( Λαγίδαι , Lagidai ; after Ptolemy I 's father, Lagus ), was a Macedonian Greek royal house which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period . Reigning for 275 years, the Ptolemaic was the longest and last dynasty of ancient Egypt from 305 BC until its incorporation into the Roman Republic in 30 BC. Ptolemy , a general and one of

468-664: The Predynastic Period . The remains of the settlement (tell) provides an insight into the development of Edfu as a provincial town from the end of the Old Kingdom until the Byzantine period. The settlement at Edfu was the capital of the Second Upper Egypt nome, and played an important role within the region. The oldest part of the town which can be dated to the late Old Kingdom lies on the eastern part of

504-947: The Ramesside period in the 13th and 12th centuries BCE. Both Neoclassical and Egyptian Revival architecture employ the pylon form, with Boodle's gentlemen's club in London being an example of the Neoclassical style. The 19th and 20th centuries saw pylon architecture employed for bridges such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and as stand-alone monuments such as the Patcham Pylon in Brighton and Hove , England. Ptolemaic dynasty The Ptolemaic dynasty ( / ˌ t ɒ l ɪ ˈ m eɪ . ɪ k / ; Ancient Greek : Πτολεμαῖοι , Ptolemaioi ), also known as

540-568: The University of Warsaw and the Institut français d’archéologie orientale (IFAO) in Cairo, and was directed by B. Bruyère, J. Manteuffel and Kazimierz Michałowski . Three elaborate reports on the archaeology of Tell Edfu were published. Unfortunately, since mid-1939 no new detailed discoveries or thorough research has been completed at the tell except for recent work done by Barry Kemp, from

576-492: The Egyptian temples, that of Apollinopolis was capable of being employed as a fortress. It stood about a third of a mile from the river. The sculptures, although carefully and indeed beautifully executed, are of the Ptolemaic era , the earliest portion of the temple having been erected by Ptolemy VI Philometor in 181 BC. Apollonopolis Magna became a Christian bishopric , a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Ptolemais ,

612-695: The Old Kingdom until the Graeco-Roman period, more than 3000 years of history, therefore providing ideal conditions to study the development of a provincial town. A central part of the site was explored by Henri Henne from the Institute for Egyptology in Lille in 1921 and 1922. His team identified the remains of a small sanctuary from the Late or Ptolemaic period, possibly the Osiris chapel built by Psamtek I. Henne

648-1773: The Ptolemaic dynasty are likely to have suffered from a multi-organ fibrotic condition such as Erdheim–Chester disease , or a familial multifocal fibrosclerosis where thyroiditis, obesity and ocular proptosis may have all occurred concurrently. ( Shamshi-Adad dynasty 1808–1736 BCE) (Amorites) Shamshi-Adad I Ishme-Dagan I Mut-Ashkur Rimush Asinum Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi (Non-dynastic usurpers 1735–1701 BCE) Puzur-Sin Ashur-dugul Ashur-apla-idi Nasir-Sin Sin-namir Ipqi-Ishtar Adad-salulu Adasi ( Adaside dynasty 1700–722 BCE) Bel-bani Libaya Sharma-Adad I Iptar-Sin Bazaya Lullaya Shu-Ninua Sharma-Adad II Erishum III Shamshi-Adad II Ishme-Dagan II Shamshi-Adad III Ashur-nirari I Puzur-Ashur III Enlil-nasir I Nur-ili Ashur-shaduni Ashur-rabi I Ashur-nadin-ahhe I Enlil-Nasir II Ashur-nirari II Ashur-bel-nisheshu Ashur-rim-nisheshu Ashur-nadin-ahhe II Second Intermediate Period Sixteenth Dynasty Abydos Dynasty Seventeenth Dynasty (1500–1100 BCE) Kidinuid dynasty Igehalkid dynasty Untash-Napirisha Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt Smendes Amenemnisu Psusennes I Amenemope Osorkon

684-493: The Second Intermediate Period (17th Dynasty). At least seven large round silos have been excavated here with a diameter between 5.5 and 6.5 meters which makes them the largest ones so far discovered within an ancient Egyptian urban centre. No larger remains dating earlier than the 5th Dynasty have been found at Edfu. The ancient cemetery comprised mastabas of the Old Kingdom as well as later tombs. Before

720-573: The University of Cambridge. Since 2001, the Tell Edfu project has been directed by Nadine Moeller (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago). The current work focuses on the eastern part of the site. So far the administrative centre of the ancient town has been discovered with remains of a columned hall dating to the late Middle Kingdom as well as a large granary courtyard that functioned as a grain reserve for this provincial capital. Latter dates to

756-447: The admission of light, and probably served as chambers or dormitories for the priests and servitors of the temple. From the jambs of the door project two blocks of stone, which were intended, as Ddnon supposes, to support the heads of two colossal figures. This propylaeon leads into a large square, surrounded by a colonnade roofed with squared granite, and on the opposite side is a pronaos or portico, 53 feet (16 m) in height, and having

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792-580: The beginning of the New Kingdom, the necropolis was transferred to Hager Edfu, to the west and then in the Late period to the south at Nag’ el-Hassaya. The entire area was called Behedet. The god Horus was herein worshipped as Horus Behedet. One of these mastabas belonged to Isi, a local administrator, who, it was quoted was the "great chief of the Nome of Edfu" in the Sixth Dynasty. Isi lived during

828-555: The capital of the Roman province of Thebais Secunda . Papyrus documents record the names of perhaps five of its bishops. No longer a residential bishopric, Apollonopolis Magna is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see . Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh). 24°58′40″N 32°52′24″E  /  24.97778°N 32.87333°E  / 24.97778; 32.87333 Pylon (architecture) A pylon

864-563: The childless marriage of siblings Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II being an exception. The first child-producing incestuous marriage in the Ptolemaic dynasty was that of Ptolemy IV and Arsinoe III , who were succeeded as co-pharaohs by their son Ptolemy V , born 210 BC. The best-known Ptolemaic pharaoh, Cleopatra VII , was at different times married to and ruled with two of her brothers ( Ptolemy XIII until 47 BC and then Ptolemy XIV until 44 BC), and their parents were also likely to have been siblings or possibly cousins. Contemporaries describe

900-477: The city of Alexandria founded by Alexander the Great would gradually surpass Athens taking its place as the intellectual centre of the Mediterranean world. To emulate the previous dynasties of Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty eventually adopted the practice of inbreeding including sibling marriage ; this did not start in earnest until nearly a century into the dynasty's history. All the male rulers of

936-502: The dynasty took the name Ptolemy , while queens regnant were all called Cleopatra , Arsinoe , or Berenice . The most famous member of the line was the last queen, Cleopatra VII , known for her role in the Roman political battles between Julius Caesar and Pompey , and later between Octavian and Mark Antony . Her apparent suicide after the Roman conquest of Egypt marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Egypt. Dates in brackets on

972-516: The extended wings of a vulture. Its sculptures represent (Rosellini, Monum. del Culto , p. 240, tav. xxxviii.) the progress of the Sun, Phre-Hor-Hat, Lord of Heaven, moving in his bark (Bari) through the circle of the Hours. The local name of the district round Apollinopolis was Hat , and Noum was styled Hor-hat-kah, or Horus, the tutelary genius of the land of Hat. This deity forms also at Apollinopolis

1008-403: The later rulers; the one used here is the one most widely employed by modern scholars. Continuing the tradition established by previous Egyptian dynasties , the Ptolemies engaged in inbreeding including sibling marriage , with many of the pharaohs being married to their siblings and often co-ruling with them. Ptolemy I and other early rulers of the dynasty were not married to their relatives,

1044-407: The pylon mirrored the hieroglyph akhet 'horizon', which was a depiction of two hills "between which the sun rose and set". Consequently, it played a critical role in the symbolic architecture of a building associated with the place of re-creation and rebirth. Pylons were often decorated with scenes emphasizing a king's authority since it was the public face of a building. On the first pylon of

1080-755: The reign of King Djedkare Isesi of the Fifth and into the reign of Pepi I of the Sixth Dynasties. He was an administrator, judge, chief of the royal archives and a "Great One among the Tens of the South" [ref?]. Isi later became a living god and was so worshipped during the Middle Kingdom. As the Sixth Dynasty and the Old Kingdom drew to a close, local regional governors and administrative nobles took on

1116-464: The river. The later structure faces north to south and leaves the ruined remains of the older temple pylon to be seen on the east side of the first court. The remains of one of seven small provincial step pyramids built along the Nile Valley, is situated about 5 km south of Edfu near the west bank village of Naga el-Goneima . The structure was built from rough reddish sandstone and rises to

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1152-543: The tell, not far from the Ptolemaic temple. There is evidence that the town flourished during the First Intermediate Period when it expanded extensively to the west. It is one of few settlements in southern Egypt that thrived when it seems that the north, especially around the delta, was in economic decline. Today, the ancient mound of Tell Edfu is preserved in some areas up to 20 m high and contains complete archaeological sequences of occupation dating to

1188-616: The temple of Isis at Philae , the pharaoh is shown slaying his enemies while Isis, Horus and Hathor look on. Other examples of pylons can be seen in Karnak , Luxor Temple and Edfu . Rituals to the god Amun were often carried out on the top of temple pylons. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon. In addition to standard vertical grooves on the exterior face of a pylon wall which were designed to hold flag poles, some pylons also contained internal stairways and rooms. The oldest intact pylons belong to mortuary temples from

1224-462: Was followed by Octave Guéraud in 1928 then by Maurice Alliot in 1931 who each explored and excavated different aspects of the settlement remains. The top layers of the settlement containing the Byzantine, Roman and Ptolemaic remains and the Old and Middle Kingdom cemetery at the southern western corner were recorded by a Franco-Polish expedition in 1937–39. The expedition was organized in cooperation between

1260-631: Was marked by the intense interactions and blending of the Greek and Egyptian cultures. Under the Ptolemies, Hellenistic religion was largely shaped by religious syncretism and imperial cult . Elements of Greek education became widespread in urban spaces, culminating in the foundation of the Mouseion (including the Library of Alexandria ) and the Serapeum . During the Hellenistic period,

1296-420: Was the Roman name for the town. Although unassuming and unglamorous to the visiting tourists, Tell Edfu is a monument that contains evidence of more Egyptian history and is of more archaeological interest than the Ptolemaic temple. Although major parts of the settlement show severe signs of erosion, cut away or have been exposed during sebakh -digging, enough is preserved to gain information from as far back as

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