Mysterious 2,100-year-old gate believed to hide ancient Egyptian god of fertility’s secret temple is unearthed

A LARGE gateway dating backmost 2,100 years has been unearthed by archaeologists successful an past Egyptian town.

The secretive entrance, recovered successful the historical municipality of Athribis, adjacent the modern metropolis of Sohag, primitively stood up to 60ft (18m) tall.

It unfastened up to a antecedently chartless chamber, which archaeologists judge could pb to a long-lost temple.

“The entranceway to a temple successful the stone is suspected to beryllium nether the inactive untouched piles of rubble down it,” said University of Tübingen archaeologists Professor Christian Leitz and Dr. Marcus Müller.

“Unique successful Egyptian temple architecture is simply a 2nd doorway connected the façade of the pylon, which leads to a antecedently chartless staircase that led successful astatine slightest 4 flights to the precocious floor, which has present been destroyed, and wherever further retention rooms tin beryllium reconstructed.”

“The much than 3m-high find and decorations emblematic of the precocious extremity of a temple — specified arsenic a cobra frieze — bespeak that determination could beryllium a doorway down it.”

Although further excavations volition beryllium required to beryllium this.

The chamber, which is astir 6m agelong and 3m wide, was discovered aft clearing distant a 20ton ceiling artifact that had fallen implicit time.

The tiny country which was apt utilized for storing utensils and amphora – oval containers that were utilized for wine, lipid and resin.

Leitz and Müller person been moving with Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities connected the discovery.

The brace added: “Excavations person been taking spot since 2012 to uncover a temple territory from antiquity that was built betwixt 144 BCE and 138 CE.

“The analyzable was 51m wide successful full and the towers of the monumental temple entranceway were each 18m high.

“Today, lone astir 5m remain. The remainder fell unfortunate to quarrying."

The entranceway is decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and intricate carvings connected the outer facade and the interior walls.

The hieroglyphics suggest Ptolemy VIII from the 2nd period BCE was liable for the operation of the pylon.

Though the inscriptions besides represent Egyptian fertility deity Min, his woman Repit, commonly depicted arsenic a lioness, and their son, the child-god Kolanthes.

“Once again, the goddess Repit tin beryllium seen, portion the doorway framework other shows the fertility deity Min, who is accompanied by 2 precise seldom depicted beings — decans (stars that alteration clip to beryllium measured astatine night) with the heads of a falcon and an ibis respectively," said Leitz and Müller.

In 1 inscription, this Egyptian deities are receiving sacrifices from a king, who the researchers accidental is Ptolemy VIII from the 2nd period BC.

Ptolemy VIII was known for the governmental prowess and subject rivalry helium had with his older siblings.

During his reign, which spanned 170 to 164 BCE, helium sometimes ruled alongside solo and astatine different times with others.

In astir 117, Ptolemy VIII sponsored a voyage to India via the Red Sea and Indian Ocean - which was the archetypal of its kind.

It was this expedition that sparked Egypt's involvement successful the spice trade.