Taposiris Magna, meaning ““great tomb of Osiris”, is an ancient town founded by the Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the present-day Alexandria Governorate of Egypt. - HeritageDaily - Archaeology News
Taposiris Magna - The "Great Tomb of Osiris" .rll-youtube-player, [data-lazy-src]{display:none !important;} HOME ABOUT ABOUT US CONTACT US EDITORIAL HERITAGE COM MOBILE APP HERITAGE MAGAZINE NEWSLETTER SHOP PAST SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGY ARCHAEOLOGY HERITAGE PALAEONTOLOGY PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY GEOSCIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE GEOLOGY NATURAL HISTORY SPACE & PLANETARY GENERAL SCIENCE BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS POLITICS TECH & ENGINEERING TRAVEL ALL REGIONS AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES MAPS HERITAGE LISTS Search HOME ABOUT ABOUT US CONTACT US EDITORIAL HERITAGE COM MOBILE APP HERITAGE MAGAZINE NEWSLETTER SHOP PAST SCIENCES ANTHROPOLOGY ARCHAEOLOGY HERITAGE PALAEONTOLOGY PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY GEOSCIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE GEOLOGY NATURAL HISTORY SPACE & PLANETARY GENERAL SCIENCE BIOLOGY CHEMISTRY PHYSICS POLITICS TECH & ENGINEERING TRAVEL ALL REGIONS AFRICA ASIA EUROPE NORTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA INTERESTING BIOGRAPHIES MAPS HERITAGE LISTS Search Image Credit : Koantao - CC BY-SA 3.0 AFRICA Taposiris Magna – The “Great Tomb of Osiris” Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinReddItEmailPrintCopy URL Taposiris Magna, meaning “”great tomb of Osiris”, is an ancient town founded by the Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus in the present-day Alexandria Governorate of Egypt. Ptolemy II constructed Taposiris Magna between 280 and 270 BC during the Hellenistic period, on the navigable arm of the now dried-out bed of the ancient Lake Mareotis. The town served as a hub until the seventh century AD for handling products transported across the lake, as well as receiving goods from overland trading routes before shipping them to Alexandria, as well as a religious centre for celebrating the festival of Khoiak (the fourth month of the Season of Akhet when the Nile floods historically covered the land). The Temple of Osiris – Image Credit : Einsamer Schütze – CC BY-SA 3.0 Taposiris Magna was planned with a square shaped enclosure centred on the Temple of Osiris, which some academics speculate to be the final resting place of Cleopatra. Surrounding the town is a long wall that extends southwards from an artificial ridge to the southern shore to ensure caravans passed through the town and paid a levy. Nearby are several private and public buildings, along with shops, cisterns and a necropolis, and a large tower called the Pharos of Abusir, which is a 1:4 or 1:5 replica of the Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria that served as a funerary monument. By the Roman Period, Taposiris Magna functioned as a customs station to process levies on products from the Mareotic region and the Cyrenaica eastern coast of Libya as they were transported to the Nile Delta or Alexandria. Pharos of Abusir – Image Credit : Einsamer Schütze – CC BY-SA 3.0 The Romans excavated a 50-metre-wide channel and a closed harbour system, and two de-silting openings to allow water to flush away the silt and sediments that might accumulate in the harbour basin. Excavations on the town have discovered the original gate to the Temple of Osiris, and several foundation stones that lined the entrance, one of which suggests that there was once an avenue of sphinxes similar to those of the pharaonic era. Archaeologists have also discovered numerous Greco-Roman style mummies in a necropolis buried with their faces turned towards the temple, supporting the theory that a royal burial was once placed within the temple walls. Header Image Credit : Koantao – CC BY-SA 3.0 Share FacebookTwitterLinkedinReddItEmailPrintCopy URL Download the HeritageDaily mobile application on iOS and Android By Markus Milligan June 14, 2021 More on this topic Previous articleHuge prehistoric croc ‘river boss’ prowled SEQ waterwaysNext articleUnderwater archaeology team finds ancient obsidian flakes 2,000 miles from quarry MORE RELATED ARTICLES Archaeology Mammoth kill site was a seasonal hunting camp Archaeology Kurgan tomb from lost culture discovered Anthropology Face of 19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ reconstructed Anthropology Byzantine monk chained with iron rings uncovered Heritage Legio V Macedonica – The Last Roman Legion Archaeology Ship from Elizabethan period found buried in quarry LATEST NEWS Archaeology Mammoth kill site was a seasonal hunting camp Archaeology Kurgan tomb from lost culture discovered Anthropology Face of 19th-century ‘Connecticut vampire’ reconstructed Anthropology Byzantine monk chained with iron rings uncovered Anthropology The Art of Mummification Heritage Legio V Macedonica – The Last Roman Legion Archaeology Ship from Elizabethan period found buried in quarry Archaeology Archaeologists uncover high-status Roman domus Load more NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION I accept the privacy rules of this site Popular stories Heritage The mystery of Tutankhamun’s meteoric iron dagger Heritage The origins of dragon mythology Heritage Atlantis – The story behind the legend Heritage The Immortal Armour of China’s Jade Burial Suits Travel The Pleasure Villa of Emperor Tiberius Heritage Germania – Hitler’s Megacity Load more HeritageDaily is part of the HeritageCom group of brands. - Registered Address: HeritageDaily LTD - Suite/Unit 40 17 Holywell Hill, St Albans, Herts, United Kingdom, AL1 1DT Company Info About Us Shop & Merchandise HeritageCom Terms & Conditions Cookies Policy Contact Us Social Networks FacebookInstagramLinkedinTwitter We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. 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