Temple Dedicated to the Sun God Unearthed in Egypt
Friday, August 5, 2022
CAIRO, EGYPT—According to a Live Science report, 4,500-year-old traces of a temple dedicated to Ra, the ancient Egyptian sun god, have been uncovered south of Cairo at the site of Abu Ghurab by a team of researchers led by Massimiliano Nuzzolo of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Rosanna Pirelli of the University of Naples L'Orientale. The mudbrick structure, thought to have been built during the reign of either Shepseskare, who ruled from about 2438 to 2431 B.C., or Neferefre, who ruled from about 2431 to 2420 B.C., measured at least 197 feet long and 66 feet wide. It consisted of an L-shaped entrance portico featuring limestone columns, a courtyard, storage rooms, and rooms thought to have been used for unknown cultic purposes, Nuzzolo explained. “The walls of this building were all plastered in black and white and often also show traces of painting in red and blue,” he said. One deposit of artifacts included dozens of beer jars and jars decorated with red pigment, while a second deposit contained the seals of pharaohs from the 5th and 6th Dynasties. The temple was ritually demolished, Nuzzolo added, possibly before it was completed. A new temple was built of stone at the site for Niuserre, who reigned from 2420 to 2389 B.C. To read more about the 5th Dynasty pharaohs, go to "In the Reign of the Sun Kings."
https://www.archaeology.org/news/10717-220805-egypt-ra-temple
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Ancient Egyptian temple to the sun cult uncovered near Cairo
By Owen Jarus published 4 days ago
The temple had been ritually demolished in ancient times.
Part of the uncovered sun temple is seen in this image. (Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of a 4,500-year-old temple dedicated to the Egyptian sun god Ra at the site of Abu Ghurab, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Cairo.
The temple was built sometime during ancient Egypt's fifth dynasty (circa 2465 B.C. to 2323 B.C.) — a "period in which the cult of the sun reached its apex with the construction of a new type of monument specifically devoted to the sun god, commonly known as 'Sun Temple,'" said Massimiliano Nuzzolo, co-director of the archaeological dig and a researcher at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. He co-directs it with Rosanna Pirelli of the University of Naples "L'Orientale" in Italy.
The sun cult was a powerful cult in ancient Egyptian religion. In later times, Ra merged with Amun — the chief god of Thebes (Luxor) — to form Amun-Ra who was regarded, at least by some Egyptians, as being the most powerful of the Egyptian gods. He was worshiped until around 1,500 years ago, the time that Egyptian polytheism became extinct.
Here we see the excavated Sun Temple from ancient Egypt.
(Image credit: M. Osman for Sun Temples Project, 2022)
The newly uncovered sun temple was made from mud bricks and measured at least 197 feet long and 66 feet wide (60 meters by 20 m). It contained an L-shaped entrance portico, a courtyard, storage rooms and rooms that may have been used for cultic purposes, Nuzzolo told Live Science in an email. "The walls of this building were all plastered in black and white and often also show traces of painting in red and blue," Nuzzolo said. The entrance portico was partially made of white limestone and had two limestone columns.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/ancient-egyptian-sun-temple-discovered
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Long-Lost Egyptian Sun Temple Found After 4,500 Years
BY JOSEPH GOLDER, ZENGER NEWS ON 8/3/22 AT 11:03 AM EDT
Amysterious ancient sun temple dating back 4,500 years has been unearthed by archaeologists in an Egyptian cemetery for the pharaohs.
Sun temples were built to honor the most powerful ancient Egyptian god, Ra, the god of the sun, kings, and the sky. Although six are believed to have been built, only two have ever been discovered.
Now, a team of Polish and Italian archaeologists have discovered a third while excavating the Abusir necropolis near the famous ancient burial grounds of Saqqara. It served as a final resting place for the ancient Egyptian elite and includes 14 royal pyramids and numerous tombs.
Dr. Ayman Ashmawy, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement obtained from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism, how the temple was built using mud bricks with a weighted limestone entrance.
More:
https://www.newsweek.com/long-lost-egyptian-sun-temple-found-after-4500-years-1730508
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