The remains of a Ptolemaic temple of Queen Berenike, wife of Ptolemy III of Egypt have been unearthed in Alexandria. The finds so far include a cachette of 600 Ptolemaic statues, a Roman water cistern, several wells, and a great number of clay pots and sherds.
There were a large number of statues depicting the cat goddess Bastet among the haul, which suggests that the temple was dedicated to Bastet and proves that the worship of Bastet continued into the late period of Egyptian history. In Ancient Egypt, Bastet was a goddess of protection and motherhood.
Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA, explained that the temple had been used as a quarry in later time periods and that many of the stone blocks had been taken away.
To read the whole press release, please click here
No comments:
Post a Comment