Illustration
The shrine held a cult statue of the goddess Isis, who is mentioned in the inscriptions. It stood in one of the sanctuaries of one of her famous temple on the island of Philae. Holes on all sides of the recess hold held two door leaves and bolts. The statue inside was only revealed when the priests performed their daily rituals. The gap is flanked by papyrus columns, with a cobra frieze and winged sun-discs at the top. The shrine is one of four placed in the temple by King Ptolemy VIII and his wife, Queen Cleopatra II. On the base, stand two figures of the king with raised arms. He supports the sky (represented as a horizontal band) and with it, the statue that stood inside the shrine. Due to its isolated location, the Isis temple at Philae stayed longer in operation than any other Egyptian temple, well into the Christian era. It was closed around 535 CE by order of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Ptolemaic Period, reign of Ptolemy VIII, circa 170-116 BCE. From Philae, found reused in a Coptic church, Originally from the temple of Isis, Egypt. (The British Museum, London
).
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Amin, O. S. M. (2016, July 26). Shrine of Ptolemy VIII & Cleopatra II. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5357/shrine-of-ptolemy-viii--cleopatra-ii/
Chicago Style
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Shrine of Ptolemy VIII & Cleopatra II." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified July 26, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5357/shrine-of-ptolemy-viii--cleopatra-ii/.
MLA Style
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Shrine of Ptolemy VIII & Cleopatra II." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Jul 2016. Web. 18 Aug 2022.
