Soleb
 View of the Soleb temple | |
  Shown within Sudan | |
| Location | Sudan |
|---|---|
| Region | Nubia |
| Type | Temple |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Soleb is an ancient town in Nubia, in present-day Sudan. The site is located north of the third cataract of the Nile, on the western side of the Nile. It was discovered and described by Karl Richard Lepsius in 1844. The temple was built during the reign of Amenhotep III and dedicated to Amun, but after Akhenaten assumed power, it was rededicated to Aten.[1]
Necropolis
Soleb is also the location of a vast
Amarna Period
During the Amarna Period (Mid 18th Dynasty), several pharaohs attended to Soleb, such as Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, and Ay.
Amenhotep III
A large
At
The so-called Prudhoe Lions originally stood as guardian figures at this temple inscribed with the name of Amenhotep III. They depict a lioness, as symbols of Sekhmet, a major deity who protected the pharaohs.[2]
Akhenaten
During the reign of Akhenaten, he initially is shown worshipping his father and Amen at the temple. But later, he re-dedicates the temple to Aten.[citation needed]
Tutankhamen
During the reign of Tutankhamen, the religious reforms of his father (Akhenaten) were reversed and re-dedicated the temple to Amen-Ra. He finished the second granite lion and inscribed his name on the Prudhoe Lions. [3][4]
Ay
During the reign of Ay, he also inscribed his name on the Prudhoe Lions.[citation needed]
List of imprisoned peoples
On the columns of the hypostyle hall, there is a list of the peoples that the Egyptians had conquered.[5] A total of three lists are preserved with the names of foreign places and surviving people.[6] Each list depicts the figure of a prisoner soldier with his arms tied, and with his shield. On each shield there is an inscription describing to which town and place the soldier belongs.
Land of the Shasu, those of Yhwh
The transcription of one of the conquered people is t3 š3-sw-w y-h-w3-w, translated as land of the Shasu, those of Yhwh.[7] Thomas Schneider vocalizes the word y-h-w3 as Yahwah,[8] but also Yahweh[8] and Yehua have been proposed.[7]
Gallery
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Plan of the site by Lepsius -
View of the temple's ruins in the 19th century -
View of the temple's colonnades in the 19th century
References
- ^ UNESCO 2022.
- ^ Soleb & Sedeinga Retrieved 2018-11-01.
- ^ H. W. Fairman, "Tutankhamun and the end of the 18th Dynasty" Antiquity 1972
- ^ "BBC - History - Historic Figures: Tutankhamun (1336 BC - 1327 BC)". Retrieved 2017-11-20.
- ^ Fleming 2020, pp. 23.
- ^ Berlejung 2017, pp. 96.
- ^ a b Gertoux 2002, pp. 75.
- ^ a b Fleming 2020, pp. 39.
Sources
- Berlejung, Angelika (2017). "The Tetragrammaton in Egyptian Sources Facts and Fiction". In Van Oorschot, Jürgen; Witte, Markus (eds.). The Origins of Yahwism. Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft. Vol. 484. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 81–103. ISBN 9783110448221.
- Fleming, Daniel E. (2020). Yahweh before Israel: Glimpses of History in a Divine Name. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108835077.
- Gertoux, Gérard (2002). "From Moses to David". The Name of God Y.eH.oW.aH which is Pronounced as it is Written I_Eh_oU_Ah: Its Story. G - Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series. Lanham, Maryland: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-2204-2.
- UNESCO (2022). "The Temple of Soleb". UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-472-08833-1
- ISBN 978-0-19-521660-8
- The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Nubia by Peter Lacovara
20°26′0″N 30°20′0″E / 20.43333°N 30.33333°E
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