Edfu city is situated between Luxor and you can Aswan throughout the southern area part of Egypt. The city, that’s situated on the western financial of Nile, is actually celebrated for the forehead, that was created during the Ptolemaic several months. The Temple regarding Edfu , dedicated to the newest goodness Horus, ‘s the next biggest temple into the Egypt. Following the Roman months, the latest temple is slowly hidden of the desert mud, and you can silt regarding the Nile. This means that, new temple is actually lost, and you will was just rediscovered within the 19 th century. Apart ACД°L BAДћLANTI from their size and you may condition away from conservation, the fresh Temple of Edfu is additionally known for its large number out-of inscriptions, along known as the Edfu Messages, which seem to cover the readily available epidermis.
Forehead out of Edfu In the Old, Middle and you can The fresh Empire Periods
The town off Edfu is well known along with by several other labels. The old Egyptians, such as, knew the town due to the fact Behdet, as Greeks and Romans entitled they Apollonopolis. This second name is a mention of the city’s chief goodness, Horus, just who the fresh Greeks recognized using their individual god Apollo. Even in the event Edfu is most famous for its Ptolemaic forehead , the new city’s background expands much then back in its history.
Such as, archaeological excavations from the west and you may northern elements of the town provides uncovered situation in the prior to symptoms of your own town’s occupation. These are typically mastaba tombs about Old Empire , and burials relationships towards the Middle Empire . It has in addition been found one to inside the Brand new Kingdom quarries are made towards the Mount Silsilah (south off Edfu urban area). Sandstone was acquired from all of these quarries and transferred all-over Egypt getting design functions.
During the The latest Kingdom, a forehead to Horus try situated in the Edfu. So it forehead is actually smaller compared to the present day design, and you can prolonged is available. The only real element one to stays associated with Brand new Kingdom forehead was the pylon (a Greek title toward monumental portal out of an Egyptian forehead), that is discovered to the east of your own the forehead, and you may face the latest landing phase towards Nile. It is because the truth that the latest Ptolemies based an effective the brand new forehead on the website of elderly you to definitely.
This new pharaoh just who first started the construction of one’s Temple of Edfu is actually Ptolemy III Euergetes, the third ruler away from Ptolemaic Kingdom . Throughout the their rule, hence survived of 246 so you’re able to 222/step one BC, Ptolemy been able to return Egypt and you will Cyrenaica, and triumphed along the Seleucids during the Third Syrian Combat. Egypt’s indigenous temples benefitted significantly out of Ptolemy III’s signal. Other than releasing the structure the newest Forehead out of Edfu, Ptolemy III together with made donations to other temples, and recovered the divine statues plundered regarding the temples because of the Persians. Incidentally, his epithet, ‘Euergetes’, mode ‘Benefactor’.
Even though the structure of your Temple from Edfu first started in 237 BC, it wasn’t finished by the point off Ptolemy III’s dying. However, this building of forehead continued. It was finally completed in 57 BC, when you look at the leadership regarding Ptolemy XII Auletes. The development of your own forehead grabbed a long time to done due to the of several nationalistic uprisings in Top Egypt through the that point hence interrupted the development process.
Decrypting new Forehead regarding Edfu and the Edfu Texts
This new Ptolemies were not simply up against inner dilemmas, however, external of those too. By the point from Ptolemy XII, this new luck out-of Ptolemaic Kingdom got waned, therefore are not the new great and successful condition it was previously. In fact, the new Ptolemies was basically on verge regarding losing its empire, since the Egypt was immersed by the Rome during the 29 BC, pursuing the last Ptolemaic leader, Cleopatra VII Philopator , is deposed because of the Octavian (the near future Emperor Augustus).
