Edfu town is situated ranging from Luxor and you can Aswan about south area of Egypt. The town, which is on the west bank of your Nile, is world-famous for its temple, which had been mainly based during the Ptolemaic months. The fresh new Forehead regarding Edfu , serious about the jesus Horus, is the next prominent forehead inside the Egypt. Following Roman period, the latest temple are gradually buried by the desert sand, and you will silt throughout the Nile. Thus, the newest find Constanta women temple try destroyed, and you may was only rediscovered in 19 th century. Aside from their proportions and you can state out-of preservation, the newest Temple off Edfu is even renowned for its great number from inscriptions, with each other known as the Edfu Texts, and that frequently coverage the readily available skin.
Forehead off Edfu Throughout the Dated, Middle and The brand new Kingdom Periods
The city regarding Edfu is famous including by several other brands. Brand new old Egyptians, such as, understood the city given that Behdet, as the Greeks and you may Romans called it Apollonopolis. It latter name was a mention of the city’s master goodness, Horus, which the Greeks recognized using their individual jesus Apollo. Regardless of if Edfu is actually most well-known for its Ptolemaic forehead , brand new city’s records runs much further back in its history.
For-instance, archaeological excavations on the west and you will north elements of the town provides bare thing on prior to attacks of town’s field. They’ve been mastaba tombs on the Old Empire , and you can burials relationships for the Center Kingdom . It has also been discovered one to in the New Empire quarries are designed into the Attach Silsilah (south out-of Edfu town). Sandstone is actually acquired because of these quarries and you will directed all-over Egypt getting design work.
Inside The brand new Kingdom, a forehead to help you Horus are oriented from the Edfu. Which temple are smaller than the present day construction, and you can extended can be acquired. Really the only function you to stays from the Brand new Empire forehead is its pylon (a good Greek term for the monumental portal from a keen Egyptian forehead), which is receive for the eastern of one’s brand new forehead, and you can confronts the fresh new landing phase with the Nile. This is due to that the newest Ptolemies established an excellent this new temple on the website of your own old you to definitely.
The pharaoh whom began the building of your Temple away from Edfu try Ptolemy III Euergetes, the next ruler of Ptolemaic Empire . During their reign, which lasted from 246 so you can 222/step one BC, Ptolemy was able to return Egypt and you will Cyrenaica, and you will triumphed along the Seleucids when you look at the Third Syrian Conflict. Egypt’s local temples benefitted significantly from Ptolemy III’s laws. Besides initiating this building the Forehead off Edfu, Ptolemy III and additionally made donations some other temples, and you can recovered the brand new divine sculptures plundered from the temples from the Persians. By the way, his epithet, ‘Euergetes’, mode ‘Benefactor’.
Even though the design of Temple of Edfu began inside the 237 BC, it was not done by the point out of Ptolemy III’s passing. However, the building of the forehead went on. It actually was in the end completed in 57 BC, when you look at the rule out-of Ptolemy XII Auletes. The construction of forehead took such a long time in order to over due to the of numerous nationalistic uprisings inside Top Egypt through the that point and this interrupted the development processes.
Decrypting the new Temple off Edfu plus the Edfu Texts
Brand new Ptolemies just weren’t only facing internal problems, but exterior of these too. Once regarding Ptolemy XII, the latest luck from Ptolemaic Empire got waned, therefore try not new mighty and you may successful state they was previously. In fact, this new Ptolemies was indeed to the brink off losing the kingdom, because Egypt are immersed from the Rome into the 31 BC, following the last Ptolemaic leader, Cleopatra VII Philopator , try deposed of the Octavian (the long run Emperor Augustus).