Bigeh
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| snmwt[1][2] inhieroglyphs | ||||
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| Era:Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BC) | ||||
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| snm(w)t or snm(w)tt[1][2] inhieroglyphs | |||||||
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Bigeh(Arabic:بجح;Ancient Egyptianznmwt)[3]is an island and archaeological site situated along theNile Riverin historicNubiaand within theAswan Governorateof southernEgypt.The island has been situated in the reservoir of theOld Aswan Damsince the dam's initial completion in 1902.[4][5]
Ancient Egypt[edit]
It was formerly an island in theFirst Cataractof theNile Riverand its fortification controlled the access to ancientUpper Egyptand Nubia. It is aWorld Heritage Site,located close toPhilaeandAgilkia Islandsand their ancientarchaeological sitesin the reservoir.[6]
Bigeh Island was sacred to theancient Egyptians.[7]They believed thatOsiriswas buried on the island[8]and a temple that stood on it was known asAbaton,Greek for "untrodden place", because only priests were allowed to set foot there.[9]The temple was mentioned by bothSeneca[10]andLucan.[11]
The godThothbore the epithets of "Great and Splendid God in Bigeh" and "He that Pacifies theNsr.tin Bigeh ".[12]It is thought that there may have been a temple of Thoth on the island.
In the mid or late 3rd century AD, an embassy from KingTalakhidamaniofKushvisited the Abaton with gifts.[13]
Gallery[edit]
-
Bigeh (foreground) andPhilaewith temple,
in theFirst Cataractof theNile River.
(1838 painting byDavid Roberts). -
Bigeh island ruins in 2006 in theOld Aswan Damreservoir.
References[edit]
- ^abGauthier, Henri (1928).Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques Vol. 5.p. 40.
- ^abWallis Budge, E. A. (1920).An Egyptian hieroglyphic dictionary: with an index of English words, king list and geological list with indexes, list of hieroglyphic characters, coptic and semitic Alpha bets, etc. Vol II.John Murray.p.1031.
- ^Allen, James P.Middle Egyptian Literature2014, p.12
- ^Sidney Peel,The Binding of the Nile and the New Soudan,p.76 (1904)
- ^Canay Ozden,The Pontifex Minimus: William Willcocks and Engineering British Colonialism,p. 196,Annals of Science,2013. DOI: 10.1080/00033790.2013.808378
- ^Yale University Publications in Anthropology,Yale University 1936, p.96
- ^The Island of Bigeh,philae.nu, date unknown, (accessed 17 February 2014 from archive.org)
- ^Burton, Anne (1972).Diodorus Siculus.Brill. p. 95
- ^Dijkstra, Jitse H. F. (2008).Philae and the End of Ancient Egyptian Religion.Peeters. p. 202.
- ^Seneca,Q. N.iv. 2
- ^Lucan, x.323
- ^Boylan, Patrick (1922).Thoth, Or the Hermes of Egypt.p. 169
- ^Josefine Kuckertz (2021),"Meroe and Egypt",in Wolfram Grajetzki,Solange Ashbyand Willeke Wendrich (eds.),UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology,Los Angeles.
External links[edit]
Islands ofEgypt | ||
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| Nileislands | ||
| Red Seaislands | ||
| Mediterranean Seaislands | ||
24°01′16″N32°53′06″E/ 24.021°N 32.885°E
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