Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple in the town of Kom Ombo in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt. It was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC.<ref>Rosalie David, Discovering Ancient Egyptology, Facts on File, 1993. p. 99</ref> Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period.
ArchitectureEdit
The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods.<ref name="david99">David, p. 99</ref> The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu.<ref name="david99" /> Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder"), along "with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnet/Tefnut<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt</ref>) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands)".<ref name="david99" /> The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.
DecorationsEdit
The texts and reliefs in the temple refer to cultic liturgies which were similar to those from that time period. The temple itself had a specific theology. The characters invoked the gods of Kom Ombo and their legend. Two themes were present in this temple: the universalist theme and the local theme. The two combine to form the theology of this temple.<ref name="ReferenceA">Gods and Men in Egypt 3000 BCE to 395 CE</ref> A temple was already built in the New Kingdom to honor these gods, however, this site gained in importance during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Little remains of the New Kingdom temple.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The existing temple was begun by Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC) at the beginning of his reign and added to by other Ptolemies, most notably Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (51–47 BC), who built the inner and outer hypostyles. The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the temple is of particular interest, and "probably represents a set of surgical instruments".<ref name="david99" />
Current stateEdit
Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes, and later builders who used its stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by Copts, who once used the temple as a church. All the temples buildings in the southern part of the plateau were cleared of debris and restored by Jacques de Morgan in 1893.<ref name="david99" />
Crocodile MuseumEdit
A few of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in The Crocodile Museum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In April 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery of the head of the bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius during work to protect the site from groundwater.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In September 2018, the Egyptian antiquities ministry announced that a sandstone sphinx statue had been discovered at the temple. The statue, measuring approximately Template:Convert in width and Template:Convert in height, likely dates to the Ptolemaic Dynasty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
GalleryEdit
- Komombo (before restoration).jpg
Kom Ombo Temple before reconstruction
- KomOmbo 2004-12.jpg
A well-preserved frieze inside Kom Ombo temple
- KomOmbo2.jpg
Overview of the Temple
- Ptolemy VI relief, Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt - 20070306.jpg
Ptolemy VI Philometor makes an offering to Hathor and Horus at Kom Ombo
- Kom Ombo 16.jpg
Preserved papyrus shaped column and ceiling at Kom Ombo temple
- Flickr - archer10 (Dennis) - Egypt-5B-040 - Komombo Temple.jpg
Kom Ombo Temple
- The Crocodile Museum 0283.JPG
The Crocodile Museum
- Egypt.KomOmbo.Shaduf.01.jpg
Shadoof beside Kom Ombo temple
- Graffiti Kom Ombo.JPG
Ancient graffito on a temple stone
- Kom Ombo Säulenhof 02.JPG
Kom Ombo, column detail
- Kom Ombo Säulenhof 17.jpg
Kom Ombo, column detail
- Kom Ombo Säulenhof 14.jpg
Kom Ombo, column detail
- Ceiling Kom Ombo1.JPG
Ceiling Kom Ombo
- Kom-Ombo.jpg
Kom Ombo, crocodile head
- Relieve del templo de Kom Ombo, Egipto..JPG
Sobek relief
See alsoEdit
- List of ancient Egyptian sites, including sites of temples
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- fotopedia.com, Selected photos of the Temple of Kom Ombo