Temple of Horus at Edfu
unknown (Egyptian (ancient))
Download1A3-EG-E-TH-A4_cp.jpg (659.1Kb)
Alternative Title
Temple of Horus
Date
-237--57Description
The pylon, south face, west side, showing detail of Ptolemy XII, in the scene where he defeats his enemies in front of Horus and Hathor; Edfu [ancient Egyptian, Behdet or Djeba; Greek, Apollinopolis; now Idfu] is the site of a temple dedicated to Horus begun by Ptolemy III Euergetes 237 BCE. The Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved of all Egyptian temples, dates mainly to the Ptolemaic period. Horus of Behdet was a divine metaphor for the living king who, having vanquished the enemy, ruled as the victorious winged sun-disc. It was therefore especially appropriate and expedient for the Greek rulers of the Ptolemaic period to venerate the victorious Egyptian divine king Horus, perhaps to reinforce their own kingship and to draw the human parallel that they had liberated Egypt from the Persian yoke. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 1/18/2008)
Type of Work
excavation (site); templeSubject
architectural exteriors, deities, rulers and leaders, Egypt--Religion, Ptolemaic
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only