Hermopolis

Hermopolis Magna (Arabic el- Ashmunain, also Hermupolis; ancient Egyptian Chemenu ), the Greco-Latin name of the capital of the 15th Upper Egyptian nome ( " Hasengau ").

It is located at about the half of the north-south Ausstreckung Egypt on the west bank of the Nile. The city of Tell el -Amarna, Akhenaten's former capital Akhetaten, is located almost at the same level on the east side.

Archaeological evidence

From the early days only a few stray finds are known. In the Old Kingdom was Hermopolis ( "City of Hermes " or " city of Thoth ", the Greeks identified the Ancient Egyptian god Thoth with Hermes ) is already a cult center for Thoth. But archeology are no traces of a temple occupied.

The Gau civic was here probably since the Old Kingdom. In the nearby quarry Hatnub Alabaster (Pharaoh) was occasionally degraded for the king.

In the First Intermediate Period, the district princes became independent and took the quarries in their area of ​​responsibility. In the Middle Kingdom temple of Thoth was of Amenemhet II built.

Sesostris III. ended the Gaufürstentum, and in the Second Intermediate to Hermopolis in on the side of the Hyksos and defended the southern border of the empire against the Thebans.

In the New Kingdom of Thoth Temple was restored by Hatshepsut, Amenhotep II built a chapel and Amenhotep III. donated for the temple Pavia statues. Ramses II expanded the temple district to a perimeter wall with entrance pylon and also started a little southwest of the Temple of Amun Thottempels erect. Further south, he began another temple, which can be perhaps the god Ptah attributed and was completed by Merenptah. Merneptah had also continue to build on the Temple of Amun, which is, however, only completed under Seti II. Several chapels within the Thotbezirkes can be Ramses III. attribute.

In the time of the strings Thoth cult continued to grow, and new buildings under Nectanebo I and restoration work was carried out in the temple district.

Other construction activities can be under Nectanebo II, Petosiris, Alexander III. and IV, and the Ptolemies. A large portico of Philip Arrhidaios was still at the beginning of the 19th century and is imaged earlier expeditions in numerous works. It is now almost completely disappeared. It consisted of two rows of six columns and formed the entrance to an otherwise largely vanished temple, of which there were only a few blocks of the facade. Especially in Roman times the city was built entirely inside the Hellenistic style with a basilica and other Hellenistic buildings. From the Roman Emperor Domitian were found remains of a temple in the Egyptian style. Again, only a few relief blocks could still be copied. A plan of the temple could not be found during the excavations.

Further finds

Among the significant finds are found in the so-called Hermopolis talatat from the reign of Akhenaten. The numerous small blocks were found in the temple of Ramses II and probably date from the nearby Amarna.

Religion

The chief god of Hermopolis was the moon god Thoth, the Lord of Chemenu are considered sacred animals whose Baboon and Ibis. The Greeks put him equal with Hermes. The god of knowledge and writing got the local role of the Creator God as the City God. His wife was probably originally the hare -faceted goddess Unut, the mistress of Wenu, which then Nehemetawai is the time of the New Kingdom. In the myth of Horus and Seth, he has held the role of arbitrator between the two.

Furthermore, the Gaugott Aha occupied, and Schepsi in Chemenu wearing lunar features. Chemenu, the Egyptian name of the settlement means Ogdoad, which stands for an eight-member group gods of Hermopolis. With frames carry snakes, frogs and ram heads. At the time of Christ's birth, there was a large Jewish colony in Hermopolis Magna.