Ruins of ancient Ptolemaic temple discovered in Egypt

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed the remains of a Ptolemaic period temple, a Roman fort and an early Coptic church.

he church was built in the ruins of the Roman fort, which was found at an archaeological site known as Shiha Fort in the Aswan governorate in southern Egypt, the ministry announced in a January 18 statement.

The temple dates to the Ptolemaic dynasty, which began about two decades after Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C.

After Alexander’s death, General Ptolemy I became ruler of Egypt (323–285 BC) and founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which reigned longer than any other dynasty established until the Alexandrian empire succumbed to the Romans in 30BC.

The crumbling temple, also found at the site, was decorated with an unfinished sandstone panel that showcased a Roman emperor, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 

Although the temple’s panel is incomplete, archaeologists could see that it depicted the entrance of a temple. In the engraved scene, a man who looks like a Roman emperor, stands next to an altar featuring an unknown deity on top of it, archaeologists said. 

The temple had four sandstone blocks decorated with palm frond carvings, according to Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the antiquities ministry.