Understanding the news: Inscriptions from the Temple of Ra, New Kingdom
This one might go 'under the radar' for a lot of people but it's actually quite exciting news. Never heard of the Temple of Ra? That's why it's quite exciting.
The temple of Ra is at Heliopolis and its archaeology is somewhat problematic because the site has been in constant use for thousands of years - the earliest features have been long since destroyed, buried or obscured by that usage. This find gives us a little glimpse into the additions made to the temple by Ramesses II in the New Kingdom, many centuries after the site was established for cult.
"When it comes to ancient Egyptian worship, Heliopolis is one of the most significant archaeological sites throughout Egypt. The site is located on the north-eastern periphery of present-day Cairo, where large parts of the ancient stratigraphy are overbuilt by modern urban structures.
In ancient times, however, the temple of Heliopolis served as the centre for the worship of the sun for more than 2500 years. Therefore, the Greeks gave the site the name Heliopolis: City of the Sun. The site originally bore the ancient Egyptian name Iwnw, which was later transformed into On in the Old Testament." [1]
"Egyptian archaeologists digging in Cairo have found two blocks of limestone with inscriptions belonging to an engineer who worked for Ramses II, one of the most celebrated and longest ruling pharoahs [sic] in ancient Egypt.
The Antiquities Ministry said on Wednesday that the artefacts were found in the Temple of Ra, the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, in Cairo's Matariya neighbourhood.
Egyptologist Mamdouh el-Damaty says the inscriptions show that the engineer had supervised the building of a booth with a seat used by Ramses II during celebrations and public gatherings. Ramses II ruled for more than 60 years, from roughly 1279-1213 BC." [2]
More about the site of Heliopolis:
Official site of the Egyptian/German mission at Heliopolis: http://www.heliopolisproject.org/
[1] http://www.heliopolisproject.org/site-information/
[2] https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/society/2018/11/22/archaeologists-discover-ramses-ii-inscriptions-in-temple-of-ra
http://see.news/egyptian-expedition-unearths-limestone-blocks-in-temple-of-ra/
L'Egitto nasconde e presenta continue sorprese! E' vero che Ramses II governò più di 60 anni, è stato il più longevo dei Faraoni. Lo è stato perché fece tantissimi figli creando il problema della successione. sapeva che diversamente per prendere il suo posto, prima o poi lo avrebbero ucciso.
ReplyDeleteOggi, i misteri più intriganti sono riferiti alla perfezione strutturale delle Piramidi di Giza e l'introvabile tomba di Cleopatra, che, sebbene fosse portatrice di grande fascino non era una bella donna.
Grazie, bell'articolo.