A destroyed pylon lays in order to this new east of the current temple; inscriptional evidence is known showing a creating system in The fresh new Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I and you will Ramesses II. Of the many temples regarding ancient Egypt, usually the one during the Edfu is considered the most done and best managed when bare from the Auguste Mariette regarding the 1860s. The reason is that the fresh new temple was actually entirely immersed significantly less than this new desert with the exception of the very the top of pylon entrance.

Short term Record

The initial brick try placed towards the 23 August 237 BCE and you may it is simply a century later on, towards 10 Sep 142 BCE, that temple is actually commercially consecrated regarding the presence of your Queen themselves, Ptolemy VIII along with his partner. This building work went on in 140 BCE on pronaos, then your pylon and the related wall structure. The next consecration of the temple was at 70 BCE, nevertheless the monumental home regarding cedars out-of Lebanon was only set up for the 56 BCE.

Disuse Throughout the Roman Time The newest forehead off Edfu dropped into the disuse given that a religious monument after the Theodosius I’s persecution out-of pagans and you may edict forbidding low-Religious praise when you look at the Roman Empire inside the 391 Le. Since elsewhere, many of the temple’s carved reliefs was razed (inspect) because of the supporters of your own Religious trust hence came to dominate Egypt. The latest blackened ceiling (inspect) of your hypostyle hall, apparent now, is thought becoming the consequence of arson meant to wreck spiritual files that was next considered pagan.

Advancement

Along side many years, the newest forehead turned into hidden in order to a depth away from 12 metres (39 feet) beneath drifting desert mud and you will layers from lake silt placed of the this new Nile. Regional population oriented homes directly across the former temple basis. Precisely the higher is at of one’s temple pylons were apparent by 1798, when the temple are acknowledged by a beneficial French expedition. Within the 1860 Auguste Mariette, a French Egyptologist, began work of freeing Edfu temple regarding the sands.

Frameworks

First Pylon The building on the entrance pylons was come of the Ptolemy IX (116-107 BCE) ahead of he had been ousted of energy because of the their brother Alexander (Ptolemy X Alexander We 107-88 BCE) and you can completed inside the rule from Ptolemy XII. The brand new pylons is actually decorated by the Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (117-51 BCE) when you look at the 57 BCE with numbers from themselves smiting the challenger. Each one of the towers sustain a great cartouche away from Ptolemy XII, but they are a tiny more. Several sculptures out of Horus as a great falcon flank brand new entrances entrance, and at the rear of new pylon, on the bottom of your walls on the both sides of your own entrances, is scenes depicting new “Meal of Beautiful Fulfilling” in which Horus out of Edfu are joined with Hathor of Dendera.

The back walls (inspect) of your own colonnade are wrapped in several rows regarding high reliefs depicting the newest Pharaoh (Ptolemy IX Soter II or Ptolemy X Alexander We) holding speak to the latest gods or for the winning goodness Horus. Similar representations try repeated throughout the forehead. With the corners of the pylon, the fresh new pharaoh is actually found, into Lower Egyptian top on the west front side therefore the Top Egyptian top to the east front side, continuing towards the forehead and being spread with the h2o of consecration of the Horus and you may Thoth.

Court from Products The huge peristyle earliest judge is surrounded by thirty two towering articles (inspect), that’s latin woman date dejting where an enthusiastic altar whould had been. This new articles try richly adorned with flowery and you will palm capitals, while the golden-hued stone wall space is actually protected when you look at the reliefs of one’s gods Horus and Hathor. Merely to the brand new left of your own entry on Vestibule, the newest surviving black stone sculpture out-of Horus, which would features originally already been element of a pair, wears the new twice crown from Egypt and you can guards the door into the the new further is located at of your own temple.