Athribis, Tell Atrib

Abstract

Abstract The site of Tell Atrib (Greek Athribis, ancient Egyptian Ḥwt‐hry‐jb(t) ) is located in the southern part of the Delta, approximately 50 km north of Cairo, in the suburbs of the modern‐day city of Benha (Vernus 1975). Athribis was an important political, religious, and administrative center of the Nile Delta and the capital city of the Tenth nome of Lower Egypt. According to written sources, the earliest history of the site can be dated to the early Old Kingdom, but the city only reached its peak during the second half of the first millennium bce (Ptolemaic and Roman periods). A small brick pyramid first documented by Napoleon's expedition and still visible at the site during the nineteenth century is now completely lost (Ćwiek 1998: 41). The city's development during the New Kingdom (18th Dynasty), documented by an amount of archaeological material, can be associated with the reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1388–1351) and more concretely with a figure of his notable court: the official and subsequently deified architect amenhotep, son of hapu . Amenhotep contributed significantly to the growth of his hometown. There are references to a temple constructed by Amenhotep III at the site. During the 25th and 26th Dynasties, two temples were erected at the site, as attested by two foundation deposits (dated to the reigns of Taharka and Ahmose II, respectively). A large Greco‐Roman settlement, with extensive complexes of workshops, public and private baths, as well as a cemetery (including the tomb of Queen Takhut, a wife of Psamtek II), have been identified. During the fourth century bce and in the Hellenistic period, Athribis was known as an important multinational and multicultural center in theMediterranean world, with inhabitants of Egyptian and Greek as well as Near Eastern origin, first living in the neighborhood of the temple of Horus‐Khenty‐khety. Based on texts, it is possible to postulate the presence of a Jewish colony in Athribis. The prominent position of Athribis as an important metropolis in the Mediterranean continued into the Roman period.