Editing Temple of Kom Ombo

{{Short description|Building in Egypt}}

[[File:Kom Ombo Portal 04.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The double entrance to Kom Ombo Temple]]
[[File:Kom Ombo.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Kom Ombo Temple]]
[[File:Kom_Ombo_Temple_Calendar.JPG|thumb|right|200px|The calendar shows the figures for the days of the month (roll over the picture) and the hieroglyphs for the inundation season, [[Season of the Inundation|Akhet]]. On the thirtieth of the [[Season of the Harvest]], one can see the hieroglyph for the [[Season of the Emergence]], which indicates the end of the harvest season. The next day is Akhet.]]
The '''Temple of Kom Ombo''' is an unusual double [[Egyptian temple|temple]] in the town of [[Kom Ombo]] in [[Aswan Governorate]], [[Upper Egypt]]. It was constructed during the [[Ptolemaic dynasty]], 180–47 BC.<ref>Rosalie David, Discovering Ancient Egyptology, Facts on File, 1993. p. 99</ref> Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period.

==Architecture==

The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods.<ref name="david99">David, p. 99</ref> The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god [[Sobek]], god of fertility and creator of the world with [[Hathor]] and [[Khonsu]].<ref name="david99" /> Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god [[Horus#Heru-ur (Horus the Elder)|Haroeris]] ("Horus the Elder"), along "with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of [[Hathor]] or Tefnet/Tefnut<ref>Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt</ref>) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands)".<ref name="david99" /> The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

==Decorations==

The texts and reliefs in the temple refer to cultic liturgies which were similar to those from that time period. The temple itself had a specific theology. The characters invoked the gods of [[Kom Ombo]] and their legend. Two themes were present in this temple: the universalist theme and the local theme. The two combine to form the theology of this temple.<ref name="ReferenceA">Gods and Men in Egypt 3000 BCE to 395 CE</ref> A temple was already built in the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] to honor these gods, however, this site gained in importance during the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom]]. Little remains of the New Kingdom temple.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The existing temple was begun by [[Ptolemy VI Philometor]] (180–145 BC) at the beginning of his reign and added to by other [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemies]], most notably [[Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator]] (51–47 BC), who built the inner and outer [[hypostyle]]s. The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the temple is of particular interest, and "probably represents a set of surgical instruments".<ref name="david99" />

==Current state==

Much of the temple has been destroyed by the [[Nile]], earthquakes, and later builders who used its stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by [[Copts]], who once used the temple as a church. All the temples buildings in the southern part of the plateau were cleared of debris and restored by [[Jacques de Morgan]] in 1893.<ref name="david99" />

==Crocodile Museum==

A few of the three hundred crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in The Crocodile Museum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/44/33460/Heritage/Museums/Crocodile-Museum-opens-in-Aswan.aspx|title=Crocodile Museum opens in Aswan - Museums - Heritage - Ahram Online|website=english.ahram.org.eg|language=en|access-date=2018-09-17}}</ref>

In April 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery of the head of the bust of Roman Emperor [[Marcus Aurelius]] during work to protect the site from groundwater.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-04-22|title=Archaeologists find bust of Roman emperor in Egypt dig in Aswan|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1289571/art-culture|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Arab News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-04-22|title=Shrine to Osiris and bust of Roman emperor found in Egypt|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/shrine-to-osiris-and-bust-of-roman-emperor-found-in-egypt/article/520449|access-date=2020-12-28|website=www.digitaljournal.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=DPA|first=Daily Sabah with|date=2018-04-22|title=Archeologists find Roman emperor bust, ancient shrine in Egypt|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2018/04/22/archeologists-find-roman-emperor-bust-ancient-shrine-in-egypt|access-date=2020-12-28|website=Daily Sabah|language=en}}</ref>

In September 2018, the Egyptian antiquities ministry announced that a sandstone [[sphinx]] statue had been discovered at the temple. The statue, measuring approximately {{convert|28|cm|0|abbr=on}} in width and {{convert|38|cm|0|abbr=on}} in height, likely dates to the [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic Dynasty]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45546415|title=Archaeologists find sphinx at Egypt temple|date=2018-09-17|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-09-17|language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Komombo (before restoration).jpg|Kom Ombo Temple before reconstruction
File:KomOmbo 2004-12.jpg|A well-preserved [[frieze]] inside Kom Ombo temple
File:KomOmbo2.jpg|Overview of the Temple
File:Ptolemy VI relief, Temple of Kom Ombo, Egypt - 20070306.jpg|[[Ptolemy VI Philometor]] makes an offering to [[Hathor]] and [[Horus]] at Kom Ombo
File:Kom Ombo 16.jpg|Preserved [[papyrus]] shaped column and ceiling at Kom Ombo temple
File:Flickr - archer10 (Dennis) - Egypt-5B-040 - Komombo Temple.jpg|Kom Ombo Temple
File:The Crocodile Museum 0283.JPG|The Crocodile Museum
File:Egypt.KomOmbo.Shaduf.01.jpg|[[Shadoof]] beside Kom Ombo temple
File:Graffiti Kom Ombo.JPG|Ancient graffito on a temple stone
File:Kom Ombo Säulenhof 02.JPG|Kom Ombo, column detail
File:Kom Ombo Säulenhof 17.jpg|Kom Ombo, column detail
File:Kom Ombo Säulenhof 14.jpg|Kom Ombo, column detail
File:Ceiling Kom Ombo1.JPG|Ceiling Kom Ombo
File:Kom-Ombo.jpg|Kom Ombo, crocodile head
File:Relieve del templo de Kom Ombo, Egipto..JPG|[[Sobek]] relief
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of ancient Egyptian sites]], including sites of temples

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230423004111/https://fotopedia.com/en/Temple_of_Kom_Ombo fotopedia.com], Selected photos of the Temple of Kom Ombo

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[[Category:2nd-century BC religious buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Kom Ombo]]
[[Category:Former religious buildings and structures in Egypt]]
[[Category:Hellenistic architecture]]
[[Category:Egyptian temples]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Egypt]]