Archaeological excavations have revealed a gateway to an ancient Egyptian temple that is thought to be hidden in a mountainside.
Researchers from Germany's University of Tübingen uncovered a "pylon" at the archaeological site of Athribis. This term refers to the monumental gateway of an Egyptian temple. The pylon at Athribis consists of two large towers flanking a central doorway.
The main entrance to the suspected temple is thought to lie some distance after the pylon within the mountain, behind piles of untouched rubble, project leader Christian Leitz told Newsweek. He is with the German university's Institute for Ancient Near Eastern Studies.
Athribis is located around 4 miles southwest of the Egyptian city of Sohag, extending over 30 hectares (74 acres), most of which has not yet been excavated. The site consists of a main temple complex, the newly excavated pylon that is thought to indicate another temple, evidence of a settlement and the remains of a necropolis, as well as ancient quarries.
The main temple complex, the excavation of which has now finished, is thought to have been built between 144 B.C. and A.D. 138.
The age of the suspected temple is not yet known. While some evidence of its pylon was identified by investigations that took place in the early 1900s, the feature had not been excavated until the latest efforts conducted by the Tübingen team, supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
"The complete scientific excavation started with us and will last some time. We will not finish it this season," Leitz told Newsweek.
In the northern tower of the suspected temple's pylon, the researchers found reliefs of a king offering sacrifices to the lion-headed goddess Repit and her son Kolanthes. Hieroglyphic inscriptions indicate the king who was likely responsible for the construction of the pylon: Ptolemy VIII.
Ptolemy VIII was a second-century ruler of Egypt from the Ptolemaic dynasty. His reign was marked by political purges and internal strife, including violent power struggles with his siblings.
The Ptolemaic dynasty was an ancient Macedonian Greek royal family that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great's conquest of the territory. Founded in 305 B.C., the dynasty persisted until the kingdom was defeated and annexed by the Roman Republic in 30 B.C.
In the northern tower of the pylon, the archaeologists also uncovered an unexpected chamber, measuring around 20 feet long and 10 feet wide. It appears to have served as a storage room for temple utensils and later amphorae—a type of ancient container vessel.
Ongoing work at the site will focus on identifying evidence of the presumed temple behind the pylon.
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