In the small Egyptian village of Athribis, located approximately 200 kilometers north of Luxor and near Sohag, researchers have uncovered evidence suggesting the presence of a significant ancient sanctuary hidden in the cliffs. Led by Professor Christian Leitz and excavation manager Marcus Müller from the University of Tübingen, along with support from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the team has identified a large, monumental temple entrance, commonly referred to as a pylon, which could be the key to understanding the site’s history.
The pylon features two towering structures flanking a central entrance, and beneath the rubble at the back of this entrance lies what researchers suspect is a hidden temple. This discovery is part of a broader excavation effort that began in 2022, aiming to uncover the remains of a grand stone temple that dates back to the Ptolemaic period, specifically between 144 BCE and 138 CE. The excavation team, including Mohamed Abdelbadia from the Egyptian Antiquities Authority, has been working in Athribis since 2012, uncovering a temple district that once stood as a monumental complex.
The temple itself was originally 51 meters wide, with two towering pylons that reached 18 meters in height. Unfortunately, much of the structure was lost to quarrying activities over the centuries. Through the discovery of a coin, the team was able to date this destruction to around 752 CE or shortly afterward. However, enough remains to offer a glimpse of the temple’s grandeur. Currently, only about 5 meters of the pylons still stand, but new excavations are shedding light on their original form and purpose.
Recent work has focused on the northern tower and the entrance gate, where the team uncovered reliefs depicting a king making offerings to the lion-headed goddess Repit and her son Kolanthes. These images, along with newly discovered hieroglyphic inscriptions, have provided crucial information about the temple’s history. The inscriptions indicate that the king responsible for both the temple’s decoration and its construction was Ptolemy VIII, a ruler from the 2nd century BCE. This find offers an important link to the temple’s creators and the religious practices of the time.
In the northern tower of the pylon, the team made an unexpected discovery: a previously unknown chamber. Using an innovative technique involving air cushions, wooden scaffolding, and rollers, the team was able to remove a massive ceiling block weighing approximately 20 tons. This chamber, measuring about 6 meters long and 3 meters wide, appears to have been used for storage, first for temple utensils and later for amphorae.
An intriguing feature of the pylon is a corridor that connects the entrance to the newly discovered chamber, which could be accessed from the outside. The entrance to this corridor is also adorned with reliefs and hieroglyphs, depicting the goddess Repit once again. Additionally, the opposite door frame features the fertility god Min, accompanied by two unusual figures: decans, star beings with the heads of a falcon and an ibis, which are rarely depicted in Egyptian art. This imagery adds a layer of mysticism and complexity to the temple’s religious iconography.
One of the most unique architectural features of the site is the second door found on the façade of the pylon. This door leads to a staircase that once ascended at least four flights, though the upper floors have since been destroyed. Archaeologists believe that these upper levels may have housed additional storage rooms, further deepening the temple’s functional complexity. The second door, along with the staircase, presents a distinctive element in Egyptian temple design that has not been commonly found at other sites.
Looking ahead, further excavations are scheduled to begin in November 2024, with a primary focus on uncovering the temple believed to be hidden behind the pylon. Initial investigations suggest that finely smoothed limestone blocks on a vertically cut rock façade could be remnants of a rock sanctuary, which might have been an integral part of the temple complex. Additionally, a 4-meter-high structure adorned with decorations typical of the upper part of a temple, such as a cobra frieze, raises hopes that a previously undiscovered door leading into the temple may soon be revealed.
This excavation is not only shedding light on a forgotten part of Egypt’s ancient religious landscape but also contributing significantly to our understanding of temple architecture during the Ptolemaic period. The findings thus far suggest that Athribis was home to a monumental religious site that combined both rock-cut architecture and traditional stone building techniques. As the excavation continues, it is expected to reveal even more about the temple’s layout, its cultural significance, and the people who built and used it over 2,000 years ago.
Source: Universitaet Tübingen