A 2,100-Year-Old Egyptian Temple Built Into A Cliff Face Was Recently Unearthed
At the ancient city of Athribis in Egypt, a 2,100-year-old temple built into a cliff face was unearthed. Athribis is located near the modern city of Sohag and is about 125 miles north of Luxor.
The leader of the project, Professor Christian Leitz, said that the “finely smoothed limestone blocks on a vertically cut facade could belong to a rock sanctuary.”
According to the University of Tübingen in Germany, the stone structure contains an ornate entrance known as a pylon, which consists of two towers standing on either side of a main entrance. Each tower was 59 feet tall, and today, only a little over 16 feet remain.
The rest was removed for quarrying. Thanks to a coin someone dropped a long time ago, the removal of the stone can be dated back to the year 752. The complex itself was likely built between 144 B.C.E. and 138 C.E.
Researchers also discovered a second door on the pylon that leads to a hidden staircase. It once had at least four flights of stairs to an upper floor, which has since been demolished. More storage rooms could be reconstructed in the space.
In the northern tower, they found reliefs showing the Egyptian king Ptolemy VIII, who ruled from 170 to 116 B.C. during the 2nd century.
He was known for his unstable reign and conflicts with his family. Ptolemy VIII was probably responsible for the construction of the pylon and its decorations.
The artwork depicts the king offering sacrifices to Repit, the lion-headed goddess, and her son Kolanthes. Repit was the consort of Min-ra, a god associated with fertility. In addition, there were creatures known as “decans,” which had animal heads and human bodies.
One had the head of a falcon, and the other had the head of an ibis. These two beings are very rarely ever depicted.
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The creatures represented clusters of stars that allowed ancient Egyptians to be able to tell time at night. Other temples portray decans near gods, but there are usually more than just two.
The research team also stumbled upon a hidden chamber in the north tower. They used an air cushion, rollers, and wood scaffolding to clear away a ceiling block that weighed roughly 20 tons.
The chamber measures about 20 feet in length and 10 feet in width. The room used to be a storage area that held temple utensils and, later, clay jars with two handles and narrow necks called amphorae.
It is possible that the temple was dedicated to Repit, but further analysis of the site is needed to learn more. Excavations at the site have been ongoing for two years.
The project was funded by the German Research Foundation. It is part of a larger temple district that archaeologists have been studying since 2012.
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