Why is it in the news?
Archaeologists uncovered a massive limestone fragment completing an ancient royal statue.
The discovery provides new insights into Pharaoh Ramesses II and ancient Egyptian history.
Category: History
Important Points:
● El Ashmunein is the modern name of ancient Hermopolis Magna in Upper Egypt.
● It is located on the west bank of the Nile River.
● The city had religious, cultural and administrative importance from Old Kingdom to the Greco-Roman era.
● It was devoted to Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom and writing.
● Its ancient Egyptian name was Khmun meaning “City of the Eight” referring to Ogdoad deities.
● It served as the capital of the Hare nome, the fifteenth nome of Upper Egypt.
● It had monumental structures including the Temple of Thoth with inscriptions and statues.
● In the Christian era, it became an early Coptic centre with a 5th-century basilica.
● Excavations revealed mudbrick houses, cemeteries, altars and reused royal cartouches.