Ongoing excavations at a sprawling temple 125 miles north of Luxor have unearthed a towering discovery: a temple pylon measuring 150 feet wide made of sandstone blocks.
It was found at the Athribis site dating to the Ptolemy dynasty when Egypt was ruled by the descendants of one of Alexander of Macedon’s generals, where excavations are currently in their 21st year.
The discovery by a joint Egyptian-German team is considered a “significant milestone” that will pave the way for further excavation at the temple site, where even after uncovering walls carved with high relief, halls, dozens of rooms, pillars and pillar bases, and over 1,200 hieroglyphic inscriptions, the majority remains buried.
“The slope angle of the towers suggests the original height of the pylon could have been up to 18 meters, rivaling the dimensions of the Luxor Temple pylon,” said Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Central Administration for Upper Egypt Antiquities and head of the Egyptian side of the mission, stated that on the interior walls of the gate, hieroglyphic inscriptions were found depicting a Ptolemaic king welcoming Repyt, the lion-headed goddess and patron of the Athribis temple.
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“Through studying the cartouches discovered at the entrance and on one of the interior sides, it was determined that this gate dates back to the reign of King Ptolemy VIII, who may have been the founder of the temple,” Abdel Badie said.
Dr, Marcus Miller, an archaeologist on the German team, said that a hidden room on a second floor accessible by a door on the exterior of the pylon, was discovered during the unearthing. Floor steps led up to the chamber which is guessed to have been destroyed during the 7th century CE.
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The Athribis project is one of the most important ongoing in Egypt at the moment, and along with the impressive structures, has unearthed 30,000 artifacts.
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