Ney-ta-hut | |
Alternative name | Tell el Yehudiye (Jewish mound) |
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Location | Kafr Ash Shubak, Heliopolite Nome |
Region | Lower Egypt |
Coordinates | 30°17′36.2″N31°19′57.4″E / 30.293389°N 31.332611°E |
Type | Ancient location |
Site notes | |
Website | Tell el-Yahudiya |
Ney-ta-hut: 'The Delta site of Tell el-Yahudiya (Mound of the Jews) probably (..) dates to at least as early as the Middle Kingdom and seems to have been occupied right up to the Roman Period. Tell el-Yahudiya was first excavated and published by Naville in 1890, Petrie in 1906 and later investigated by du Buisson for the French Archaeological Institute.' |
Leontopolis (Egyptian: Ney-ta-hut) is the Greek name of a city that may correspond to either the modern area of Tell el Yehudiye or Tell el-Yahudiya (Egyptian Arabic: Jewish Mound ). It was an ancient city of Egypt in the 13th nome of Lower Egypt (the Heliopolite Nome), on the Pelusiac branch of the Nile. This site is known for its distinctive pottery known as Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware.
The site was part of the Land of Onias, which was home to a Jewish population.
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pr-rꜥ ḥr mḥt jwnw The Residence of Ra to the north of Heliopolis [1] | |||||||||||||||
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Era: New Kingdom (1550–1069 BC) | |||||||||||||||
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nꜣjj tꜣ ḥ(w)t [2] in hieroglyphs | |||||||||
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Era: 2nd Intermediate Period (1650–1550 BC) | |||||||||
Linant identified the site in 1825, [3] [4] but Niebuhr had identified it earlier, in the late 18th century. [5]
The site includes some massive rectangular earthwork enclosures of the late Middle Kingdom or Second Intermediate Period. They measure around 515m by 490m, and their purpose is probably defensive. These earthen walls were sloping and plastered on the outer face, and almost vertical on the inner face. Egyptian parallels for such a structure are lacking. This enclosure is often interpreted as a fortification built by the Hyksos; it is generally known as the "Hyksos Camp". [6] There are also cemeteries from the Middle Kingdom and later. A temple and palace of Ramesses II has also been excavated. Also, there was a palace of Ramesses III with some fine decorations.
In the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC) a temple, modelled after that of Jerusalem, was founded by an exiled Jewish priest, often identified as Onias IV, [7] (Josephus states that both Onias IV and Onias III built the temple at different points in his writing, and overall records a confused genealogy for the priests). [8] The temple was founded on the site of a pagan temple dedicated to Bubastis-of-the-fields. [9] The Hebrew colony, which was attracted by the establishment of their national worship at Leontopolis, and which was increased by the refugees from the oppressions of the Seleucid kings in Judea, flourished there for more than three centuries afterwards. In the aftermath of the First Jewish–Roman War, around 73 or 74 CE, Vespasian destroyed the Leontopilite temple, fearing another revolt. [10] [11]
Josephus records in The Jewish War that the temple was a tower, made of large stones, 60 cubits high, and was surrounded by a wall of burnt brick with gates of stone. He states that the altar was similar to Jerusalem, but that it had a single lamp of gold that hung from golden chain instead of a menorah. [12] In Antiquities , he states that the temple overall resembled the Jerusalem temple, which potentially indicates that the temple underwent renovations, initially resembling the Jerusalem temple more strongly and over time becoming a tower-like structure. [13]
It has been suggested that the temple allowed women to serve as priests due to a funerary inscription reading "Marin the priestess". Those who support this idea, or the idea that Marin had an official function in the temple that was distinct from the male priests, state that there is precedent in the Tanakh for women performing cultic functions, and that Egyptian and Greek women in Egypt took up an active priestess role, and that there was enough time for Jews associated with the Leontopolis Temple to have assimilated certain local practices by the time Marin lived. They think it is possible she played music, poured libations, or prepared sacrifices. It is also possible this inscription meant she was the daughter or wife of a male priest, as no other community allowed women to serve in such roles. Not enough evidence exists to make a definitive conclusion regarding any of these options. [14]
While Tell el-Yahudiya was part of the Land of Onias (the term being used on one of the epitaphs found there), it is not universally accepted as being Leontopolis, and therefore, the site of Oniad Temple. [15] One problem is that Roman sources tell us that Leontopolis was 180 stadia (about 33 kilometers) away from Memphis, [16] which is not the distance between Memphis and Tell el-Yahudiya (186 stadia, about 46 kilometers). Further, identification has relied upon the fact that the site's name indicates Jewish presence, and the presence of images of Bubastis (Bast) being found at the site, neither of which would actually be unique in the area. And, the area atop the mound is not sufficient to host a temple and a city, as Josephus recorded. Several other common pieces of evidence are also of dubious quality. [17]
The Hyksos, in modern Egyptology, are the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Their seat of power was the city of Avaris in the Nile Delta, from where they ruled over Lower Egypt and Middle Egypt up to Cusae.
Gibeah is the name of three places mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, in the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, and Ephraim respectively.
Leontopolis was an ancient Egyptian city located in the Nile Delta, Lower Egypt. It served as a provincial capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric. The archaeological site and settlement are known today as Kafr Al Muqdam.
Avaris was the Hyksos capital of Egypt located at the modern site of Tell el-Dab'a in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. As the main course of the Nile migrated eastward, its position at the hub of Egypt's delta emporia made it a major capital suitable for trade. It was occupied from about the 18th century BC until its capture by Ahmose I.
Zadok, also spelled Ṣadok, Ṣadoc, Zadoq, Tzadok or Tsadoq, was a Kohen (priest), biblically recorded to be a descendant from Eleazar the son of Aaron. He was the High Priest of Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon. He aided King David during the revolt of his son Absalom, was subsequently instrumental in bringing Solomon to the throne and officiated at Solomon's coronation. After Solomon's building of the First Temple in Jerusalem, Zadok was the first High Priest to serve there.
Pithom was an ancient city of Egypt. References in the Hebrew Bible and ancient Greek and Roman sources exist for this city, but its exact location remains somewhat uncertain. Some scholars identified it as the later archaeological site of Tell el-Maskhuta. Others identified it as the earlier archaeological site of Tell El Retabeh.
Kom el-Hisn is a Nile Delta settlement dating back to the Old Kingdom of Egypt with parts dating to the Middle Kingdom. Its location in the 3rd nome of Lower Egypt, or "House of the Lord of Ships ", focus on the goddess Hathor, as well as faunal and textual evidence suggests it played a role in transporting cattle between regions. Whether or not it was a self-sufficient town or built solely to support the temple is currently unknown.
Pi-Ramesses was the new capital built by the Nineteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses II at Qantir, near the old site of Avaris. The city had served as a summer palace under Seti I, and may have been founded by Ramesses I while he served under Horemheb.
Onias IV was the son of Onias III and the heir of the Zadokite line of High Priests of Israel. He built a new Jewish temple at Leontopolis in Ptolemaic Egypt where he reigned as a rival High Priest to the hierarchy in Jerusalem. While he never gained leadership in Judea, he still held influence in Egypt; the territory most heavily populated by Jews was called the Land of Onias in reference to his influence.
Jason was the High Priest of Israel from around 175 BCE to 171 BCE during the Second Temple period of Judaism. He was of the Oniad family and was brother to Onias III, his predecessor as High Priest. Josephus records that his name was originally Jesus or Joshua before he changed it.
Menelaus was High Priest in Jerusalem from about 172 BC to about 161 BC. He was high priest at the beginning of the Maccabean revolt (167-160). He was the successor of Jason, the brother of Onias III.
Onias III, son of Simon II, was Jewish High Priest during the Second Temple period. He is described in scriptures as a pious man who opposed the Hellenization of Judea. He was succeeded by his brother Jason in 175 BCE.
The Land of Onias is the name given in Hellenistic Egyptian, Jewish, and Roman sources to an area in ancient Egypt's Nile Delta where a large number of Jews settled. The Land of Onias, which included the city of Leontopolis, was located in the Heliopolite Nome.
Ananias the son of Onias was the son of the Jewish high priest, Onias IV, who founded a Jewish Temple at Leontopolis in Egypt during the persecutions of Antiochus IV.
Simon II was a High Priest of Israel during the Second Temple period. He was the son of Onias II, and probably was succeeded by Onias III. There are two main sources that discuss Simon II: the Book of Sirach and possibly 3 Maccabees. Based on the Book of Sirach, Simon II was active at some point in the 190s BCE. If the reference to a High Priest Simon in 3 Maccabees is to the same person, then he was also active as High Priest in the 210s BCE as well. John J. Collins estimates his reign as 219–196 BCE for example, while Elias Bickerman suggests only that he served c. 190 BCE. He was possibly the same person as Simon the Just, although the historian Josephus thought this referred to Simon I instead.
Tell Nebesha or Nebesheh is an archaeological site in Egypt, and the location of the ancient city of Imet. It is found around 10km south of Tanis in the Eastern Nile Delta. This was the ancient capital of the 19th Nome of Lower Egypt. By the Assyrian period, it was succeeded by Tanis.
Saft el-Hinna, also written as Saft el-Hinneh, Saft el-Henna, Saft el-Henneh, is a village and an archaeological site in Egypt. It is located in the modern Al Sharqia Governorate, in the Nile Delta, about 7 km southeast of Zagazig.
The Exodus is the founding myth of the Israelites. The scholarly consensus is that the Exodus, as described in the Torah, is not historical, even though there may be a historical core behind the Biblical narrative.
Tell el-Maschuta - the ancient Egyptian Per Tem/Pi-Tem - is located in the Wadi Tumilat region in the eastern Nile Delta about 16 kilometers west of Ismailia and about 18 kilometers east of Tell er-Retaba.