A joint Egyptian-German archaeological mission led by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and the University of Tübingen has discovered a new Ptolemaic temple near the Great Temple of Atribis in Sohag.
Inscriptions found at the archaeological site indicate that the newly uncovered temple dates back to the reign of King Ptolemy VIII, with some references possibly relating to his wife, Queen Cleopatra III.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said that this discovery is a breakthrough in discovering a previously unknown temple in Atribis.
Khaled elaborated that the newly discovered pylon façade spans 51 meters and features two towers, each 24 meters wide, surrounding a central gate. Research indicates that the pylon originally stood 18 meters tall, similar in height to the iconic pylon at Luxor Temple. The pylon is adorned with hieroglyphic inscriptions and intricate carvings, depicting a Ptolemaic king receiving offerings from the lion-headed goddess Repit and her child, the deity Kolanthes.
Christian Leitz, the German co-leader of the excavation mission, emphasized the significance of a southern chamber that was partially uncovered in the early 20th century by British archaeologist Flinders Petrie. This chamber houses depictions of celestial deities used for measuring nighttime hours, as well as carvings of Repit and the fertility god Min.
In addition, a newly discovered room featuring a staircase has been revealed. Markus Müller, the site director of the German team, explained that this staircase once led to an upper floor that was destroyed around 752 CE.
The excavation team has been working in Atribis for three decades. They have mapped the great temple and recovered over 30,000 ostraca written in Demotic, Coptic, and Hieratic scripts. The excavations will persist to reveal the remaining features of the temple and contribute to Egypt's archaeological record.
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