Archaeologists have unearth a 2,100-year-old temple carve into a cliff face near Sohag, Egypt, approximately 200 kilometres north of Luxor. The discovery, announce by researchers from the University of Tübingen in Germany, includes intricately carve stone reliefs and chambers that provide new insights into the religious practices of the Ptolemaic period.
The excavation began in 2022 and forms part of ongoing studies within a larger temple district at Athribis, a site being explore since 2012.
As per press release from University of Tübingen, the temple reliefs were to depict King Ptolemy VIII, who rule between 170 and 116 B.C., offering sacrifices to Repit, a lion-headed goddess, and her son Kolanthes.
Repit is noted as the consort of Min-Ra, a deity associate with fertility.
The structure is believe to have dedicated to Repit, but confirmation awaits further investigation.
Christian Leitz, an Egyptology professor leading the project, mention that the temple’s original name remains unknown.
Within the temple’s north tower, a chamber containing utensils and amphorae was discover, while the entrance feature details carvings of Repit and Min-Ra, according to reports.
Unique depictions of decans, stars link with nighttime timekeeping were also identified.
The decans, shown with humanoid bodies and animal heads, including a falcon and an ibis, were describe by the team as rare.
Such figures have find in other temples, though typically in larger groups.
Experts not involve in the excavation have describe the discovery as intriguing but suggest more information is need to understand its significance, according to reports.
Sarah Symons and Juan Antonio Belmonte, archaeoastronomers with extensive experience in Egypt, said that the findings hold promise for advancing knowledge of Ptolemaic religious and astronomical practices in their statement.
Excavations at Athribis continue, with researchers aiming to piece together more details about the temple’s history and purpose.
