Editing Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)

{{Short description|Ancient Egyptian city located in present-day Ayn Shams, Cairo}}
{{Infobox ancient site
  |name        = Heliopolis
  |native_name = '''Jwnw''' or '''Iunu''' 
  |alternate_name = 
  |image       = CairoObeliskSesostris1.jpg
  |image_size  = 200
  |caption     = Al-Masalla [[obelisk]], the largest surviving monument from Heliopolis, pictured in 2001.
  |map_type    = Egypt
  |map_alt     = 
  |map_size    = 200
  |relief      = yes
  |location    = [[Egypt]]
  |region      = [[Cairo Governorate]]
  |coordinates = {{Coord|30.129333|N|31.307528|E|display=inline}}
}}

'''Heliopolis''' ('''Jwnw''', '''Iunu'''; {{langx|egy|𓉺𓏌𓊖|[[wikt:jwnw|jwnw]]}}, {{lit}} 'the Pillars'; {{langx|cop|ⲱⲛ}}, {{langx|hbo|אֹן|ʾOn}}; {{langx|el|Ἡλιούπολις|Hēlioúpolis|City of the Sun}}) was a major city of [[ancient Egypt]]. It was the capital of the [[13th Nome|13th]] or [[Heliopolite Nome]] of [[Lower Egypt]] {{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} and a major religious centre. Its site is within the boundaries of [[Ain Shams]] and [[El Matareya, Cairo|El Matareya]], districts (''kism'') in northeastern [[Cairo]].

Heliopolis was one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, occupied since [[prehistoric Egypt]].<ref name = "Dobrowolska, 15">{{citation |last=Dobrowolska |author2=Dobrowolski |display-authors=1 |title=Heliopolis: Rebirth of the City of the Sun |isbn=9774160088 |date=2006 |page=15 |publisher=American Univ in Cairo Press }}.</ref> It greatly expanded under the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old]] and [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]]s but is today mostly destroyed, its temples and other buildings having been scavenged for the construction of medieval Cairo. Most information about the ancient city comes from surviving records.

A major surviving remnant of Heliopolis is the [[Egyptian obelisk|obelisk]] of the Temple of [[Ra]]-[[Atum]] erected by [[Senusret I]] of the [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth Dynasty]]. It remains in its original position (now in el-Masalla, [[El Matareya, Cairo]]).<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Obelisk |volume=19 |page=945 |first=Francis Llewellyn |last=Griffith}}.</ref> The {{convert|21|m|abbr=on}} high red granite obelisk weighs 120 tons (240,000&nbsp;lbs) and is believed to be the oldest surviving obelisk in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/obelisk|website=www.britannica.com|title=obelisk|access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref> 

Other obelisks, originating in Heliopolis, were taken by the Romans after their conquest of Egypt. The taller {{convert|25|m|abbr=on}} [[Vatican obelisk]], was taken by Emporer [[Caligula]], and now stands in [[St. Peter's Square]], the only ancient obelisk in Rome never to have fallen. Emperor [[Augustus]] took the [[Obelisk of Montecitorio]] from Heliopolis to Rome, where it remains. 

Two smaller obelisks called [[Cleopatra's Needles]], are now in London and New York, but were also originally from Heliopolis.  

{{anchor|Toponymy|Etymology|Name}}

==Names==
{{hiero|Heliopolis<br />''{{lang|egy|iwnw}}''{{efn|Variant representations of Iunu include <hiero>iwn</hiero>.{{sfn|Collier|Manley|1998|p=29}}}}|<hiero>iwn-nw:niwt</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}}
Heliopolis is the [[Latinisation of names|Latinised]] form of the [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] name ''Hēlioúpolis'' ({{lang|grc|Ἡλιούπολις}}), meaning "City of the Sun". [[Helios]], the [[personified]] and [[sun god|deified]] form of the [[sun]], [[interpretatio graeca|was identified by the Greeks]] with the native [[Egyptian gods]] [[Ra]] and [[Atum]], whose principal cult was located in the city.

Its [[endonym|native name]] was {{lang|egy|iwnw}} "The Pillars". The exact pronunciation is uncertain because ancient Egyptian recorded only consonantal values.<ref>{{ cite book|last=Hawas|first=Zahi|title=مخطوط معجم اللغة المصرية القديمة احمد كمال كمال. الجزء االثاني عشر|language=Arabic|year=2002|publisher=Al-maǧlis al-aʿlá li-l-aṯār, high council of antiquities|place=Cairo|pages=496|isbn=9773053474|quote=}}</ref>

Its traditional [[Egyptological]] transcription is ''Iunu'' but it appears in as ''ʾOn'' ({{langx|hbo|אֹן}}) in [[Miketz#Third_reading—Genesis_41:39–52|Genesis 41:45 and 50]] and ''ʾĀwen'' ({{lang|hbo|אָוֶן}}) in [[Ezekiel 30]]:17 and [[Book of Amos|Amos]] 1:5 (apparently [[Baalbek]]). This later form would be the expected form in [[pausa]], but perhaps is a play on ''awen'' "idolatry." Some scholars [[linguistic reconstruction|reconstruct its pronunciation]] in earlier Egyptian as ''*ʔa:wnu'', perhaps from older /ja:wunaw/. Variant transcriptions include ''Awnu'' and ''Annu''. The name survived as Coptic {{script|Copt|ⲱⲛ}} ''Ōn''.<ref>TLA lemma no. C5494 (ⲱⲛ), in: Coptic Dictionary Online, ed. by the Koptische/Coptic Electronic Language and Literature International Alliance (KELLIA), https://coptic-dictionary.org/entry.cgi?tla=C5494</ref>

The city is called "House of Ra" in the [[Pyramid Texts]], which date to the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt]].<ref>{{citation |title=Reallexikon der Ägyptischen Religionsgeschichte |first=Hans |last=Bonnet }}. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Lower Egypt-en.png|thumb|Map of ancient Lower Egypt showing Heliopolis]]

===Ancient===
{{further|Ancient Egypt}}
Heliopolis was a regional center from [[prehistoric Egypt]].

[[File:Model of a Votive Temple Gateway at Heliopolis (49.183). 66.228.jpg|thumbnail|Model of a Votive Temple Gateway at Heliopolis, [[Dynasty XIX]]<ref>{{citation |contribution=Model of a Votive Temple Gateway at Heliopolis (49.183) |contribution-url=http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3756/Model_of_a_Votive_Temple_Gateway_at_Heliopolis_49.183 |title=''Official site'' |publisher=Brooklyn Museum |access-date=8 July 2014 }}.</ref>]]
It was principally notable as the cult center of the [[solar deity]] [[Atum]], who [[syncretism|came to be identified]] with [[Ra]]<ref name="autogenerated1">{{citation |title=The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses |first=George |last=Hart |year=2005 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=0-415-34495-6 }}.</ref> and then with Horus as [[Ra-harakhty]]. The primary [[Egyptian temple|temple]] of the city was known as the "Great House" ({{langx|egy|Pr Ꜥꜣt}} *''Par ʻĀʾat'') or "House of Atum" ({{langx|egy|Pr I͗tmw}} *''Par-ʼAtāma'', {{langx|hbo|פתם|[[Pithom]]}}). Its priests maintained that Atum or Ra was the first being, rising self-created from the primeval waters. A decline in the importance of Ra's cult during the [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|Fifth Dynasty]] led to the development of the [[Ennead]], a grouping of nine major Egyptian deities that placed the others in subordinate status to Ra–Atum. The [[High Priest of Ra|High Priests of Ra]] are not as well documented as those of other deities, although the high priests of [[Dynasty VI]] ({{c.|2345|2181}}{{nbsp}}BC) have been discovered and excavated.<ref>[http://www.planetware.com/cairo/heliopolis-el-matariya-tombs-egy-cai-elmat.htm Planetware: Priests of Ra tombs, Heliopolis—Al-Matariyyah. accessed 01.28.2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223101624/http://www.planetware.com/cairo/heliopolis-el-matariya-tombs-egy-cai-elmat.htm |date=2010-12-23 }}</ref> 

During the [[Amarna Period]] of the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|Eighteenth Dynasty]], Pharaoh [[Akhenaten]] introduced a kind of [[henotheism|henotheistic worship]] of [[Aten]], the deified solar disc. As part of his construction projects, he built a Heliopolitan temple named "Elevating Aten" (''{{lang|egy|Wcs I͗tn}}''), whose stones can still be seen in some of the gates of Cairo's medieval city wall. The cult of the [[Mnevis]] bull, another embodiment of the Sun, also had its altar here. The bulls' formal burial ground was situated north of the city.

In the [[Septuagint]] in [[Shemot (parashah)#First reading—Exodus_1:1–17|Exodus 1:11]], this city is mentioned as being one of the places that was rebuilt by enslaved [[Hebrews]]. The store-city [[Pithom]] in the same passage is, according to one theory, Heliopolis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pithom {{!}} ancient city, Egypt {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Pithom |access-date=2022-05-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Today, it is generally believed that Pithom is the archaeological site of either Tell el-Retabeh or [[Tell el-Maschuta]].

===Hellenistic===
[[Alexander the Great]] halted at this city on his march from [[Pelusium]] to [[Memphis, Egypt|Memphis]].<ref>Arrian, iii. 1.</ref>

The temple of Ra was said to have been, to a special degree, a depository for royal records, and Herodotus states that the priests of Heliopolis were the best informed in matters of history of all the Egyptians. Heliopolis flourished as a seat of learning during the Greek period; the schools of philosophy and astronomy are claimed to have been frequented by [[Orpheus]], [[Homer]],<ref>The Historical Library of Diodorus Siculus, [https://books.google.com/books?id=agd-eLVNRMMC Book I, ch VI].</ref>  [[Pythagoras]], [[Plato]], [[Solon]], and other Greek philosophers. [[Ichonuphys]] was lecturing there in 308 BC, and the Greek mathematician [[Eudoxus of Cnidus|Eudoxus]], who was one of his pupils, learned from him the true length of the year and month, upon which he formed his [[octaeterid]], or period of 8 years or 99 months. [[Ptolemy II]] had [[Manetho]], the chief priest of Heliopolis, collect his history of the ancient kings of Egypt from its archives. The later Greek rulers, the [[Ptolemies]], probably took little interest in their "father" Ra as Greeks were never much of sun worshipers and the Ptolemies favored the cult of [[Serapis]], and [[Alexandria]] had eclipsed the learning of Heliopolis; thus with the withdrawal of royal favour Heliopolis quickly dwindled, and the students of native lore deserted it for other temples supported by a wealthy population of pious citizens. By the first century BC, in fact, [[Strabo]] found the temples deserted, and the town itself almost uninhabited, although priests were still present.

Heliopolis was well known to the [[ancient Greeks]] and [[Roman Empire|Romans]], being noted by most major geographers of the period, including [[Ptolemy]], [[Herodotus]], and others, down to the [[Byzantine]] geographer [[Stephanus of Byzantium]].<ref>[[Ptolemy]], iv. 5. § 54; [[Herodotus]], ii. 3, 7, 59; [[Strabo]], xvii. p.&nbsp;805; [[Diodorus]], i. 84, v. 57; [[Arrian]], ''Exp. Alex.'' iii. 1; [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], ''H. A.'' vi. 58, xii. 7; [[Plutarch]], ''Solon.'' 26, ''Is. et Osir.'' 33; [[Diogenes Laërtius]], xviii. 8. § 6; [[Josephus]], ''Ant. Jud.'' xiii. 3, ''C. Apion.'' i. 26; [[Cicero]], ''[[De Natura Deorum]]''  iii. 21; [[Pliny the Elder]], v. 9. § 11; [[Tacitus]], ''Ann.'' vi. 28; [[Pomponius Mela]], iii. 8. [[Byzantine]] geographer [[Stephanus of Byzantium]], ''s. v.'' {{lang|grc|Ἡλίουπόλις}}.</ref>

===Roman===
In [[Roman Egypt]], Heliopolis belonged to the [[list of Roman provinces|province]] [[Augustamnica]], causing it to appear as {{nowrap|''Heliopolis in Augustamnica''}} when it needed to be distinguished from [[Heliopolis (Roman Phoenicia)|Roman Heliopolis]]. Its population probably contained a considerable [[Arabians|Arabian]] element.<ref>{{citation |author=Plin. |author-link=Pliny the Elder |title=[[Pliny's Natural History|Nat. Hist.]] |at=vi, 34 }}.</ref> Many of the city's [[obelisk]]s were removed to adorn more northern cities of the Delta and [[Rome]]. Two of these eventually became [[London]]'s [[Cleopatra's Needle (London)|Cleopatra's Needle]] and its twin in [[New York City|New York]]'s [[Central Park]].

[[File:Cogniet Leon Bataille D Heliopolis.jpg|thumb|''[[The Battle of Heliopolis]]'' by [[Léon Cogniet]]. The [[Battle of Heliopolis (1800)|Battle of Heliopolis]] took place during Napoleon's [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria|invasion of Egypt]] in 1800]]

===Islamic===
During the Middle Ages, the growth of [[Fustat]] and [[Cairo]] only a few kilometres away caused its ruins to be massively scavenged for building materials, including for their city walls. The site became known as the "Eye of the Sun" (''Ayn Shams'') and ''ʻArab al-Ḥiṣn''.

==Legacy==
The importance of the solar cult at Heliopolis is reflected in both ancient pagan and current monotheistic beliefs. [[Classical mythology]] held that the Egyptian [[bennu]], renamed [[phoenix (mythology)|phoenix]], brought the remains of its predecessor to the altar of the sun god at Heliopolis each time it was reborn. In the [[Hebrew Bible]], Heliopolis is referenced directly and obliquely, usually in reference to its prominent pagan cult. In his prophesies against Egypt, [[Isaiah]] claimed the "City of the Sun" ({{langx|he|עיר החרס}}) would be one of the five Egyptian cities to follow the Lord of Heaven's army and speak [[Hebrew]].<ref>[[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 19:18.</ref>{{efn|Variant texts read "City of Destruction" ({{lang|he|עיר ההרס}}) instead.}} [[Jeremiah]] and [[Ezekiel]] mention the House or Temple of the Sun ({{langx|he|בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ|bêṯ šemeš}}) and Ôn, claiming [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] of the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] would shatter its obelisks and burn its temple<ref>{{bibleref2|Jeremiah|43:13|NASB|Jeremiah 43:13 NASB; ''Compare'' NIV}}</ref> and that its "young men of Folly" (''Aven'') would "fall by the sword".<ref>{{bibleref2|Ezekiel|30:17|NIV|Ezekiel 30:17 NIV}}</ref>

[[File:José recibido en Heliópolis, de Francisco Gutiérrez (Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla).jpg|thumb|''José recibido en Heliópolis'', by [[Francisco Gutiérrez Cabello|Francisco Gutiérrez]] (currently held in the [[Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla]])]]

The "Syrian Heliopolis" [[Baalbek]] has been claimed to have gained its solar cult from a priest colony emigrating from Egypt.<ref>[[Macrobius]], ''Saturn.'', i. 23.</ref>

The [[Titular Episcopal See of Heliopolis in Augustamnica]] remains a [[titular see]] of both the [[Catholic Church]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].

==Present site==
[[File:Héliopolis. Plan des ruines et de l'enceinte de la ville (1809).jpg|thumb|Heliopolis map published in 1809, in the ''[[Description de l'Égypte]]'']]
The ancient city is currently located about {{convert|15|-|20|m|sp=us|0}} below the streets of the middle- and lower-class suburbs of [[El Matareya, Cairo|Al-Matariyyah]],<ref name = "Dobrowolska, 15"/> [[Ain Shams]], and [[Tel Al-Hisn]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/744/fe1.htm |title=Al-Ahram Weekly &#124; Features &#124; City of the sun |publisher=Weekly.ahram.org.eg |date=2005-06-01 |access-date=2013-03-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130325171032/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/744/fe1.htm |archive-date=2013-03-25 }}</ref> in northern [[Cairo]]. The area is about {{convert|1.5|km|sp=us|0}} west of the [[Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)|modern suburb which bears its name]].<ref name = "Dobrowolska, 15"/>

Some ancient city walls of crude brick can be seen in the fields, a few granite blocks bearing the name of [[Ramesses II]] remain, and the position of the great Temple of Ra-Atum is marked by the Al-Masalla obelisk. Archaeologists excavated some of its tombs in 2004.<ref name="egipto">{{citation |contribution-url=http://www.egiptomania.com/asade/novedades/descubrimientos4.htm |contribution=Pharonic tomb uncovered in Cairo, suburbs of Matariya |title=Egiptomania |date=26 August 2004 }}.</ref> In 2017, parts of a colossal statue of [[Psamtik I]] were found and excavated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/20/world/psamtik-colossus-cairo/index.html|title = Colossal statue of 'forgotten' pharaoh brought to life in 3D images| date=20 April 2018 }}</ref>

==Gallery==
A selection of old maps showing Heliopolis are below:

<gallery>
File:Tabulam Hanc Chorographicam agri Ditionis de Grand Cairo comprehenso situ urbis memphiticae praenobili viro DD Gulielmo - Pococke Richard - 1743.jpg|1743 map
File:MemphisJamesRennell01.jpg|1799 map
File:1882 Maclure and Macdonald Bird's-Eye View Map of Cairo.jpg|1882 map
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Commons category|Heliopolis, ancient Egypt}}
*[[List of ancient Egyptian towns and cities]]
*Other Heliopolises, particularly
** [[Heliopolis (Cairo Suburb)|Heliopolis, the 20th-century suburb]] of [[Cairo]]
** [[Ilioupoli]], the 20th-century suburb of [[Athens]] settled by Egyptian Greeks
*[[Ancient Egyptian creation myths]] – in reference to the religious belief system of ''Iunu'' at Heliopolis
*[[List of Egyptian dynasties]] – in reference to the reigns centered at Heliopolis
*[[Benben]]

==Notes==
{{Noteslist}}

== References ==

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* Allen, James P. 2001. "Heliopolis". In ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'', edited by Donald Bruce Redford. Vol. 2 of 3 vols. Oxford, New York, and Cairo: Oxford University Press and The American University in Cairo Press. 88–89
* Bilolo, Mubabinge. 1986. ''Les cosmo-théologies philosophiques d'Héliopolis et d'Hermopolis. Essai de thématisation et de systématisation'', (Academy of African Thought, Sect. I, vol. 2),  Kinshasa–Munich 1987;  new ed., Munich-Paris, 2004.
* Reallexikon der Ägyptischen Religionsgeschichte - Hans Bonnet 
* {{cite book |last1=Collier |first1=Mark |last2=Manley |first2=Bill |title=[[How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs]] |edition=Revised |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |date=1998}}
* The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, George Hart {{ISBN|0-415-34495-6}}
* Redford, Donald Bruce. 1992. "Heliopolis". In ''The Anchor Bible Dictionary'', edited by David Noel Freedman. Vol. 3 of 6 vols. New York: Doubleday. 122–123
* {{SmithDGRG|wstitle=Obelisk|ref=none}}

==External links==
*[http://cdm.reed.edu/ara-pacis/altar/related-material/obelisk-1/ Obelisk of Psametik II from Heliopolis, removed and  reerected by Augustus in Rome]

{{Ancient Egypt topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|30|07|45.6|N|31|18|27.1|E|type:landmark|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heliopolis (Ancient)}}
[[Category:Cities in ancient Egypt]]
[[Category:Roman sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Egypt]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Nile Delta]]
[[Category:History of Cairo]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]