Gebelein

Gebelein is the modern name of the ancient Egyptian city Inerty (the two rocks ). The place was a sanctuary of Hathor. Accordingly, the place also sometimes referred to as the House of Hathor ( Hwt - pr- Hrw, from which the Greek Pathyris developed, but also referred to as Aphroditopolis ) was called.

Geographical Location

The place is located in Upper Egypt, about 40 km south of Thebes. At this point, the rocks of the eastern and western desert are particularly close to the Nile, so that the place was of great strategic importance, as it was easy to check from here the traffic on the Nile.

History

From Gebelein derived residues from almost all periods of Egyptian history. From the temple of Hathor, however, found usually only loose stone fragments that occupy a sanctuary already for the 2nd dynasty here. Under Mentuhotep II made ​​this very expanded, more labeled fragments originate mainly from the Second Intermediate Period. From Thutmose III. originating goods from foundation pits, the witness further expansion of the temple. From the Ptolemaic period finally come numerous papyri.

Necropolis

The necropolis of the city is located in the adjacent mountains. During excavations of burials Naqadazeit were discovered, among which a painted with ships cloth protrudes. From the Old Kingdom comes a grave with various papyri. Especially from the First Intermediate come numerous stelae of Nubians, which obviously served as mercenaries here. From this period also the raw robbed the grave nomarchs Ini and from the 11th Dynasty the painted grave of Iti. The paintings were removed and are now in the Museo Egizio in Turin. From the time after the Middle Kingdom there is hardly burials in this cemetery. Where the people of the following periods were buried, remains unknown.

Research

In Gebelein was repeatedly dug archaeologically, but the results have rarely been sufficiently documented and published mainly. Especially Ernesto Schiaparelli here carried out extensive investigations, which the majority of the finds came to Turin.