Lost Egyptian temple is unearthed by construction workers on the banks of the Nile 2,200 years after it was built for King Ptolemy IV who was deposed after pretending to be artist and not a pharaoh
- 2,200-year-old temple was found in the city of Tama in Egypt on September 30
- Archaeologists discovered engravings with text mentioning Ptolemy IV
- So far they have found the east-west, north-south and the southwestern walls
It has laid hidden for over 2,200 years, but during routine drilling work the long-lost temple Pharaoh Ptolemy IV is believed to have been found.
The ruins were unearthed in the city of Tama, just north of Sohag, Egypt, on the western bank of the Nile.
The team has so far uncovered an east-west wall, a north-south wall and the southwestern corner of the temple, which is adorned with carvings of the Egyptian god Hapi.
These etchings depict Hapi carrying offerings while surrounded by birds and other animals, with text mentioning Ptolemy IV — the fourth pharaoh of Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty.
The team uncovered an east-west wall, a north-south wall and the southwestern corner of the temple, which is adorned with carvings of the Egyptian god Hapi –with text mentioning Ptolemy IV
The temple was discovered on September 30, while construction workers were drilling in the city, LiveScience reported.
Drilling came to a stop and archaeologists came running to the site for a thorough investigation.
Over the next few days, the team uncovered different areas of the temple and numerous engravings.
One particularly that led them to believe that this was the long-lost temple of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV – there was text along the walls mentioning his name.
The ruins were unearthed in the city of Tama, just north of Sohag, Egypt, on the western bank of the Nile
The Ptolemies were Macedonian Greeks who ruled in Egypt from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C.
The Ptolemies were Macedonian Greeks who ruled in Egypt from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C
Ptolemy IV’s reign began following the murder of his mother in 221 BC, and he sat at the head until 204 BC.
Ptolemy is said to have built a giant ship known as the tessarakonteres, a huge galley and possibly the largest human-powered vessel ever built.
However, according to historians he spent most of his time on the throne carousing and pretending to be an artist rather than a pharaoh.
Because of his lack of leadership, Egypt nearly lost its territory Coele-Syria (now the region spanning parts of Lebanon and Syria) to its rival, the Seleucid Empire.
Following this event, his people rose up against him, creating chaos through the city during the last five years of his reign.