Editing Aswan (section)

== History ==
{{Hiero | ''swnt''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gauthier |first1=Henri |title=Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 5 |date=1928 |page=[https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1928/page/n12 17] |url=https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1928}}</ref> | <hiero>s-wn:n-t:niwt</hiero> | align=left | era=lp}}

Aswan is the ancient city of '''Swenett''', later known as '''Syene''', which in antiquity was the frontier town of [[Ancient Egypt]] facing the south. [[Taweret|Swenett]] is supposed to have derived its name from an Egyptian goddess with the same name.<ref name= altas>{{cite book|last1 = Baines|first1 = John|last2 = Malek|first2 = Jaromir|title = Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Cultural Atlas)|publisher = Facts On File Inc|date = March 1983|location = New York, NY|page = [https://archive.org/details/atlasofancienteg00bain/page/240 240]|isbn = 9780871963345|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/atlasofancienteg00bain/page/240}}</ref> This goddess later was identified as [[Eileithyia]] by the Greeks and [[Lucina (goddess)|Lucina]] by the Romans during their occupation of Ancient Egypt because of the similar association of their goddesses with childbirth, and of which the import is "the opener". The ancient name of the city also is said to be derived from the [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] symbol for "trade",<ref>{{Cite book|title=Muhafazat Al Gumhuriya Al Arabiya Al Mutaheda wa Asaraha al baqiah fi al asr al islamim|year=1966|author=Suʻād Māhir|publisher=Majlis al-Aʻlá lil-Shuʼūn al-Islāmīyah|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jEL5GwAACAAJ}}</ref> or "market".<ref>{{Cite book|title=A History of Egypt, from the Earliest Times to the Persian Conquest|year=1912|author=James Henry Breasted|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofegyptfr00inbrea/page/7 7]|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofegyptfr00inbrea|access-date=2015-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121211505/http://www.archive.org/details/historyofegyptfr00inbrea|archive-date=2011-11-21|url-status=live}}</ref>

Because the [[Ancient Egyptians]] oriented themselves toward the origin of the life-giving waters of the Nile in the south, and as Swenett was the southernmost town in the country, [[Egypt]] always was conceived to "open" or begin at Swenett.<ref name= altas/> The city stood upon a peninsula on the right (east) bank of the [[Nile]], immediately below (and north of) the first cataract of the flowing waters, which extended to it from [[Philae]]. Navigation to the delta was possible from this location without encountering a barrier.

The [[stone quarries of ancient Egypt]] located here were celebrated for their stone, and especially for the granitic rock called [[syenite]]. They furnished the colossal statues, [[obelisk]]s, and monolithic shrines that are found throughout Egypt, including the [[Egyptian pyramids|pyramids]]; and the traces of the quarrymen who worked (alongside domesticated draft animals) in these 3,000 years ago are still visible in the native rock. They lie on either bank of the [[Nile]], and a road, {{convert|6.5|km|abbr=on}} in length, was cut beside them from Syene to [[Philae]].

Swenett was equally important as a military station and for its position on a trade route. Under every dynasty it was a garrison town; and here tolls and customs were levied on all boats passing southwards and northwards. Around 330, the legion stationed here received a bishop from [[Alexandria]]; this later became the [[Coptic Diocese of Syene]].<ref>Dijkstra, J. Harm F. [http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/theology/2005/j.h.f.dijkstra/thesis.pdf ''Religious Encounters on the Southern Egyptian Frontier in Late Antiquity (AD 298-642)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090704024558/http://dissertations.ub.rug.nl/FILES/faculties/theology/2005/j.h.f.dijkstra/thesis.pdf |date=2009-07-04 }}.<!--accessed 23 June 2009--></ref> The city is mentioned by numerous ancient writers, including [[Herodotus]],<ref>(ii. 30)</ref> [[Strabo]],<ref>(ii. p.&nbsp;133, xvii. p.&nbsp;797, ''seq.'')</ref> [[Stephanus of Byzantium]],<ref>(''s. v.'')</ref> [[Ptolemy]],<ref>(vii. 5. § 15, viii. 15. § 15)</ref> [[Pliny the Elder]],<ref>(ii. 73. s. 75, v. 10. s. 11, vi. 29. s. 34)</ref> [[Vitruvius]],<ref>(''[[De architectura]]'', book viii. ch ii. § 6)</ref> and it appears on the [[Antonine Itinerary]].<ref>(p.&nbsp;164)</ref> It may also be mentioned in the [[Book of Ezekiel]] and the [[Book of Isaiah]].<ref>[[Ezekiel 29:10]], [[Ezekiel 30:6|30:6]]; [[Isaiah 49:12]]</ref>
[[File:View from the west bank to the Nile, islands, and Aswan.jpg|thumb|250px|left|View from the west bank of the Nile, islands, and Aswan]]

The [[Nile]] is nearly {{convert|650|m|mi|abbr=on}} wide above<!--Should this say "below"? Bear in mind that north is down on the Nile.--> Aswan. From this frontier town to the northern extremity of Egypt, the river flows for more than {{convert|1200|km|abbr=on}} without bar or [[Cataracts of the Nile|cataract]]. The voyage from Aswan to [[Alexandria]] usually took 21 to 28 days in favorable weather.

=== Archaeological findings ===
In April 2018, the [[Ministry of Antiquities (Egypt)|Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities]] announced the discovery of the head of the bust of Roman Emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] at the Temple of [[Kom Ombo]] during work to protect the site from groundwater.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-04-22|title=Shrine to Osiris and bust of Roman emperor found in Egypt|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/shrine-to-osiris-and-bust-of-roman-emperor-found-in-egypt/article/520449|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.digitaljournal.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=DPA|first=Daily Sabah with|date=2018-04-22|title=Archeologists find Roman emperor bust, ancient shrine in Egypt|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/04/22/archeologists-find-roman-emperor-bust-ancient-shrine-in-egypt|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Daily Sabah|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-04-22|title=Archaeologists find bust of Roman emperor in Egypt dig in Aswan|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1289571/art-culture|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Arab News|language=en}}</ref>

In September 2018, the Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany announced that a sandstone [[sphinx]] statue had been discovered at the temple of Kom Ombo. The statue, measuring approximately {{cvt|28|cm}} in width and {{cvt|38|cm}}) in height, probably dates to the [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic Dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Archaeologists discover sphinx in Egyptian temple|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/9/17/egypt-archaeologists-discover-sphinx-in-temple-at-aswan|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Heffron|first=Claire|date=2018-09-17|title=Archaeologists discover ancient sphinx in Egyptian temple|url=https://www.euronews.com/2018/09/17/archaeologists-discover-ancient-sphinx-in-egyptian-temple|access-date=2020-12-28|website=euronews|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2018-09-17|title=Egyptian archaeologists find sphinx at Aswan temple|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45546415|access-date=2020-12-28}}</ref>

Archaeologists discovered 35 mummified remains of Egyptians in a tomb in Aswan in 2019. Italian archaeologist [[Patrizia Piacentini]] and El-Enany both reported that the tomb, where the remains of ancient men, women and children were found, dates back to the [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman period]] between 332 BC and 395 AD. While the findings assumed belonging to a mother and a child were well preserved, others had suffered major destruction. Other than the mummies, artifacts including painted funerary masks, vases of bitumen used in mummification, pottery and wooden figurines were revealed. Thanks to the [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyphs]] on the tomb, it was detected that the tomb belongs to a tradesman named Tjit.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/24/mummified-remains-of-35-ancient-egyptians-found-in-aswan|title=Mummified remains of 35 ancient Egyptians found in Aswan|last=Giuffrida|first=Angela|date=2019-04-24|work=The Guardian|access-date=2019-07-25|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725203757/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/24/mummified-remains-of-35-ancient-egyptians-found-in-aswan|archive-date=2019-07-25|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/egypt-mummies-aswan-hidden-tomb-scli-intl/index.html|title=At least 34 mummies found in hidden Egyptian tomb|first=Emily |last=Dixon|date=2019-04-25|website=CNN Travel|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725203757/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/egypt-mummies-aswan-hidden-tomb-scli-intl/index.html|archive-date=2019-07-25|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2019/04/23/egyptian-necropolis-with-35-mummies-found_b19e4e39-c00d-4069-a42d-528cf82c5ee7.html|title=Egyptian necropolis with 35 mummies found - Culture|date=2019-04-23|website=ANSAMed|language=en|access-date=2019-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725203758/http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/culture/2019/04/23/egyptian-necropolis-with-35-mummies-found_b19e4e39-c00d-4069-a42d-528cf82c5ee7.html|archive-date=2019-07-25|url-status=live}}</ref>

Piacentini commented "It's a very important discovery because we have added something to the history of Aswan that was missing. We knew about [[tomb]]s and [[Necropolis|necropoli]] dating back to the second and third millennium, but we didn't know where the people who lived in the last part of the Pharaonic era were. Aswan, on the [[Egypt–Sudan border|southern border of Egypt]], was also a very important trading city".<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Stan Hendrick, [[John Coleman Darnell]] and Maria Gatto in 2012 excavated petroglyphic engravings from Nag el-Hamdulab in Aswan which featured representations of a boat procession, solar symbolism and the earliest depiction of the [[White Crown]] with an estimated dating range between 3200BC and 3100BC.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hendrickx |first1=Stan |last2=Darnell |first2=John Coleman |author2-link=John Coleman Darnell |last3=Gatto |first3=Maria Carmela |title=The earliest representations of royal power in Egypt: the rock drawings of Nag el-Hamdulab (Aswan) |journal=[[Antiquity (journal)|Antiquity]] |date=December 2012 |volume=86 |issue=334 |pages=1068–1083 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00048250 |s2cid=53631029 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/earliest-representations-of-royal-power-in-egypt-the-rock-drawings-of-nag-elhamdulab-aswan/5DB2326AD5659EF652D1F77C2B713729 |language=en |issn=0003-598X|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

In February 2021, archaeologists from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced significant discoveries at an archaeological site called Shiha Fort in Aswan, namely a [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic period]] temple, a Roman fort, an early Coptic church and an inscription in [[hieratic]] script. According to [[Mostafa Waziri]], the crumbling temple was decorated with palm leaf carvings and an incomplete sandstone panel that described a Roman emperor. Researcher Abdel Badie states more generally that the church contained ovens used to bake pottery, four rooms, a long hall, stairs, and stone tiles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ruins Of Ancient Ptolemaic Temple Discovered In Egypt - Greek City Times|date=3 February 2021|url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2021/02/03/ancient-ptolemaic-temple-egypt/|access-date=2021-02-05|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Geggel|first=Laura|title=Ruins of ancient church and temple discovered in Egypt|url=https://www.livescience.com/fort-church-temple-ancient-egypt.html|access-date=2021-02-05|website=livescience.com|date=2 February 2021|language=en}}</ref>