Edfu town is located anywhere between Luxor and you can Aswan throughout the southern area section of Egypt. The town, which is situated on the western bank of your Nile, is world-famous because of its forehead, that has been based when you look at the Ptolemaic months. The fresh Temple off Edfu , intent on brand new jesus Horus, is the next premier temple from inside the Egypt. Following the Roman period, brand new forehead was slowly tucked by the desert mud, and you can silt on the Nile. Because of this, the brand new forehead are destroyed, and you will was only rediscovered in the 19 th millennium. Apart from its size and you will condition away from maintenance, the Temple of Edfu is even famous for its significant number away from inscriptions, together known as the Edfu Messages, hence apparently coverage most of the offered surface.
Temple Asya erkekler tanД±Еџma sitesi out-of Edfu Regarding Dated, Middle and you can This new Kingdom Symptoms
The town of Edfu is well known also by several other labels. The brand new ancient Egyptians, as an example, knew the metropolis given that Behdet, since Greeks and Romans titled they Apollonopolis. That it second label is actually a reference to the city’s head goodness, Horus, which the latest Greeks recognized the help of its own jesus Apollo. Regardless if Edfu was most well-known because of its Ptolemaic temple , new city’s records extends far next back in its history.
By way of example, archaeological excavations regarding west and you may northern components of the town enjoys exposed situation on the prior to periods of one’s town’s job. They might be mastaba tombs about Dated Empire , and you can burials dating toward Center Empire . It has also been found you to definitely into the The newest Kingdom quarries are built toward Attach Silsilah (towards the south regarding Edfu city). Sandstone is actually procured from all of these quarries and you may directed everywhere Egypt to have structure functions.
When you look at the Brand new Kingdom, a temple so you’re able to Horus was based on Edfu. That it temple was smaller compared to the present day framework, and you can longer is obtainable. The sole feature you to stays of The brand new Empire temple try the pylon (good Greek title for the monumental portal off an enthusiastic Egyptian forehead), that’s discover towards the eastern of one’s the fresh forehead, and confronts the getting phase toward Nile. This is due to the truth that brand new Ptolemies dependent a beneficial brand new temple on the website of the earlier one to.
Brand new pharaoh whom first started the development of your Temple out of Edfu is Ptolemy III Euergetes, the 3rd ruler away from Ptolemaic Empire . Throughout their leadership, and therefore endured from 246 so you’re able to 222/step 1 BC, Ptolemy been able to reunite Egypt and Cyrenaica, and you can triumphed across the Seleucids from inside the Third Syrian Combat. Egypt’s indigenous temples benefitted significantly from Ptolemy III’s rule. Besides starting this building the new Forehead out-of Edfu, Ptolemy III also produced contributions for other temples, and you may restored the fresh divine sculptures plundered in the temples from the Persians. By-the-way, his epithet, ‘Euergetes’, mode ‘Benefactor’.
While the framework of the Temple from Edfu began from inside the 237 BC, it was not done by the time away from Ptolemy III’s dying. Nevertheless, this building of your own temple went on. It actually was fundamentally finished in 57 BC, from inside the reign of Ptolemy XII Auletes. The development of your forehead took a long time so you can complete due to the many nationalistic uprisings during the Top Egypt throughout the that time and therefore disrupted the building procedure.
Decrypting the fresh Forehead regarding Edfu and Edfu Texts
The newest Ptolemies just weren’t only facing interior dilemmas, but external ones too. By the point from Ptolemy XII, the new luck from Ptolemaic Kingdom got waned, therefore try don’t the latest great and you will successful county they once was. As a matter of fact, the fresh new Ptolemies were on verge out-of losing the kingdom, while the Egypt is actually engrossed by Rome for the 31 BC, adopting the past Ptolemaic ruler, Cleopatra VII Philopator , was deposed by Octavian (tomorrow Emperor Augustus).