The Temple:
Blocks towards northern end of water plant. (Photo: P. Carstens) |
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East Delta (Tell Tebilla) |
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Above: Two hypothetical plans of Tebilla Temple (G. Mumford) |
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| The existence of a temple at Tell Tebilla has been suspected since 1828, when Burton mentioned seeing granite blocks on the surface of this site. The 1908 investigations at Tebilla (by Abdallah, Chaban, and Edgar) included the discovery of a limestone temple wall block that bore a prenomen best equated with Sheshonq I. This ruler represented a Dynasty 22 ruler of the Tanite kingdom to the east, which controlled the district of Ro-nefer and its temple (Hwt Khes; dedicated to Osiris). | |||||
Limestone drainage channel
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Limestone papyrus capital
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Limestone column base
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| The 1999 University of Toronto expedition noted a granite block (re-cut into a naos/shrine) with traces of a 50 cm high, fragmentary text mentioning "... beloved of [Pta]h, given life" --an epithet commonly associated with Sheshonq I (personal communication from Troy Sagrillo). | |||||
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Limestone wall block
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| The 2001 recording of all visible monumental stone pieces at Tebilla and its immediate environs, tallied 367 items (including previous discoveries): 40 granite pieces (11%), 326 limestone pieces (89%), and an alabaster piece, of which the granite blocks composed 27% of the stone in volume. Most of the stone pieces probably originated from the Osiris temple, and included numerous pavement and foundation blocks, a drainage channel piece, seven column bases (two main size ranges), a small papyrus capital, wall blocks (four of which bore fragmentary inscriptions and scenes), door jambs, sloping pieces from a granite gateway or pylon(?), a large naos/shrine corner (granite), a smaller naos/shrine fragment (granite), two basins, two mortars, and a U-shaped altar(?) (resembling a pair of bovine horns). | |||||
Granite door jamb (no. 197: 170 x 65 x 60 cm). (G. Mumford) |
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| A visit to the site in June 2002 revealed two limestone blocks with traces of inscriptions, including a rectangular block bearing the fragmentary, vertical cartouches of a Ramesside ruler (Dynasties 19-20). This Ramesside block may represent the reuse of earlier architectural pieces at Tebilla rather than indicating the existence of a Ramesside temple --especially considering that, to-date, the site lacks Ramesside pottery and other remains dating to this period. | |||||
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| Previous discoveries of monumental remains from the temple included four private votive statuettes, such as a Late Period, seated statuette of a nobleman (found by the SCA in the 1998), which would have been dedicated to the temple and placed in its outer court or along the processional way leading to the temple. | |||||
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Granite naos fragment
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Limestone basin
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| Municipal construction workers reported that a 15 by 15 meter area near the centre of the water plant had produced many of the pavement blocks, column bases, and a drainage channel (these blocks were saved and placed along the edge of and outside the plant for recording by the SCA-Toronto project). | |||||
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Limestone mortars
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| Apparently, the remnants of the temple’s paving lay on a
20 cm thick layer of sand. The evidence of ancient quarry marks on both the limestone and
granite blocks indicates that much of the temple had been destroyed in the Roman period
(and later), duplicating the pattern of quarrying found at Mendes 12 km. to the south. A re-assessment of both the ex-situ architectural pieces and the find-spot of most of the temple blocks, reveal a structure measuring at least 12-18 metres by 30-35 metres. With Osiris representing the chief patron deity, accompanied by his consort Isis and son Horus, one can postulate at least three shrines at the back of the temple. In conjunction with this triad, however, six other deities are associated with the temple, and include Sobek, Anubis, Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef. Their presence may allow up to nine shrines (see hypothetical temple reconstructions above). |
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Limestone door-socket fitting
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Limestone "horned altar"
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| The granite naos corner (no. 191) allows a
minimum shrine of 2.0 by 2.0 metres for a cult figure, which could have fitted into a 3 to
4 metre wide sanctuary. This parallels similarly sized naoi and chambers at Sheshonq I's
temple at El-Hibeh and Nectanebo II's temple at Elephantine. (3-4 metres represents the
usual, maximum width traversed safely by limestone blocks). By calculating the presence of
three to nine sanctuaries with wall widths of 1.10 metres (based upon a surviving
decorated wall block width), one can reconstruct a temple width of 12 to 18 metres and a
sanctuary arrangement that included either three sanctuaries along the back wall, or eight
sanctuaries placed around a central sanctuary (similar to Sheshonq I’s temple design
at el-Hibe). A second naos fragment (no. 180) allows for a smaller,
secondary shrine housing a cult figure. These sanctuaries would likely have been fronted by a transverse chamber (3-4 metres wide?). The existence of at least seven column bases of two to three size ranges (42-44 cm, 80-83 cm, and 94 cm in diameter) and a drainage channel, suggests one inner pillared hall (with four columns), an open outer court with a colonnade on either side (two columns apiece), and possibly a pronaos added to the temple’s exterior. With the inclusion of a frontal pylon, the hypothetical temple plan would measure 12-18 metres in width by 30-35 metres in length. An examination of contemporary temple precincts reveals enclosures that measure at least double to ten times larger than the area of the inner temple, which initially suggested that the Tebilla temple may have had an enclosure measuring up to 60-75 metres by 60-75 metres. However, from a recently obtained 1968 satellite image of Tebilla, S. Parcak's observed (in April 2003) distinct east-west and north-south mud brick enclosure walls extending at least 230 by 330 metres, respectively, while the surviving centre of the enclosure area contained an area that might represent the "ruins" (i.e., blocks) indicated on the 1930-50 Survey Map of Egypt plan of Tell Balala (Tebilla) (Remote Imaging: E.Delta). Her discovery places the minimum size of Tebilla’s Late Period temple complex at around 25% of the size of the irregularly-shaped temple enclosure (around 450 by 650 metres) at the provincial capital at Mendes (12 km to the south). |
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Limestone slab with a tenon slot
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Limestone anchor
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| The placement of Tebilla in relation to the adjacent flood plain reveals that the area immediately to the west of the temple had direct access to an estuary leading to the Mediterranean Sea (see Tebilla Part I above). Supporting evidence for this appeared through the discovery of two anchor stones along the western side of the mound (to the south and to the north of the water plant enclosure wall). For a more detailed study and reconstruction of the Tebilla Temple, see the publications section by this writer. | |||||
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Temple of Osiris-Khes at Tebilla in relation to neighbouring cult centres in the delta (Drawing: G. Mumford). |
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Ramesside blocks from Tebilla:Municipal workers discovered 11 inscribed, Ramesside limestone blocks (nos.370-80) at six metres depth below the water plant’s surface, which lies at the level of the Dynasty 26 surface in the adjacent mound. It remains uncertain whether these stones represented either a Ramesside temple or Ramesside blocks reused in the foundations of a post-New Kingdom temple. The depth of discovery of the wall blocks and occurrence of some New Kingdom potsherds suggest that Tell Tebilla may have had a Ramesside temple (Dynasty 19-20?). A massive wall block (382), which measured 1 by 2 metres , had also originated from the water plant grounds, but had been placed on the surface of the adjacent mound. It contained the figure, titles, and cartouches of Ramesses II and, from the size of its hieroglyphs, probably came from a pylon or elsewhere on the exterior of a temple. |
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Ex-situ wall-block 382 of Ramesses II recorded by G. Mumford in 2003 (Photo: P. Carstens; Drawing: G. Mumford). |
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| Of the blocks found below the water plant, five to six bore fragmentary cartouches of Ramesses II or similarly named kings (nos. 360, 373, 376, 380, 382, and 371?). Five of these blocks had much smaller dimensions and hieroglyphs than Block 382 and may have originated from the interior of the temple. | |||||
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Wall-blocks 380 (left) and 376 (right) with fragmentary cartouche of Ramesses II salvaged from Water Plant construction (Drawings: G. Mumford & L. Pinch). |
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Wall-blocks 373 (left) and 360 (right) with fragmentary cartouches of Ramesses II salvaged from Water Plant construction (Drawings: G. Mumford & A. Robea). |
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Wall-block 371 with fragmentary Ramesside(?) cartouches salvaged from Water Plant construction (Drawing: G. Mumford & L. Pinch). |
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| One wall block (no. 372) bore a fragmentary cartouche of Merenptah, suggesting the continuity of temple construction or decoration at Tebilla --or another site should these blocks have been reused. | |||||
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Wall-block 372 with cartouche of Merenptah salvaged from Water Plant construction (Photo: P. Carstens; Drawing: G. Mumford & L. Pinch).The role of the pharaoh as the guardian of Maat (“truth”; “justice”) against the forces of chaos is illustrated by another wall block illustrating a king in a smiting posture. This block has similarities to New Kingdom scenes of the king in a chariot with his left arm raised in a smiting gesture (e.g., Medinet Habu: pylon of Ramesses III). |
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Left & below: Wall-block 374 with smiting pharaoh salvaged from Water Plant construction (Photo: P. Carstens; Drawing: G. Mumford & L. Pinch).
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| Another block has an offering table scene that still bears traces of pigments on the ovoid loaves and other offerings. Such scenes are commonly found inside temple sanctuaries. | |||||
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Wall-block 377 with fragmentary offering scene salvaged from Water Plant construction (Photo: P. Carstens; Drawing: G. Mumford & L. Pinch).A few blocks have fragmentary scenes of deities, possibly representing one or two of the deities known to have been worshipped at Tebilla. The temple of Hwt Khes contained such deities as Osiris, Isis, Horus, Sobek, and Anubis. |
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Wall-blocks 379 (left) and 375 (right) with fragmentary figures, salvaged from Water Plant Construction (Drawings: G. Mumford & L. Pinch). |
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Other decorated
blocks represent architectural elements, such as a door lintel with a
sun-disk and flanking uraei (cobras).
Lintel-block 378 with sun-disk and uraei salvaged from Water Plant construction (Drawing: G. Mumford & L. Pinch). |
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Late Period blocks from Tebilla:The municipal construction at Tell Tebilla also yielded a Late Period limestone statuette. The statuette represents one of six private, Late Period statuettes known to have been placed within the temple at Tebilla. The statuettes included ones belonging to mayors of other towns (Bubastis; Taremu) and priests in the temple of Osiris-khes at Tebilla. |
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Late Period statue of Ankhmeswty discovered in water plant in 1988 (Photos: P. Carstens; courtesy of Dr. Z. Hawass). |
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Dynasty 30 Fort-Temple Enclosure Wall (2003)Shortly before the beginning of the 2003 season at Tebilla, S. Parcak obtained a 1968 satellite image of this mound and observed the southern and eastern sides of a large enclosure wall in the northwest part of the mound. In order to determine the exact location, context, date, and nature of this wall, the Toronto team cleared the western mound edge and scraped down the surface of the northwestern part of Tell Tebilla. |
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Clearing modern talis debris from west edge of mound (Photo: P. Carstens). |
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| The wall measured 235 metres east-west between the surviving southeastern and southwestern corners. The preserved eastern side of the enclosure extended at least 280 metres north into a fallow field to the north of the mound. But the northeast and northwest corners remain somewhere below the modern rice fields north of Tebilla. Fortunately, the 1968 satellite image showed traces of the probable northern wall, 352 metres north of the southeast corner, prior to the cultivation of the low ground surrounding Tebilla. | |||||
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Exposing the top of the surviving foundations of the southern segment (left) and eastern segment (right) of the Dyn.30 fort-temple enclosure wall (Photos: P. Carstens). |
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| Broad scale surface scraping revealed that the enclosure wall measures 10.50 to 11.50 metres in width and has buttresses along its exterior southern and eastern faces. The wall lies within a 13.50 metre wide foundation trench that had cut through Dynasty 26 mastabas. The pottery from the foundation trench dates mainly to the Late Period, while the construction techniques, design, and other enclosure walls in Egypt suggest that Tebilla’s enclosure represents one of the Dynasty 30 fort-temples built by King Nectanebo I at the mouth of each delta river branch in anticipation of a Persian invasion. Like other Dynasty 30 fort-temples and town enclosures in the delta, Tell Tebilla’s enclosure appears to have been levelled to the ancient ground surface immediately following the Persian invasion of 343 B.C. (temp. King Artaxerxes III). | |||||
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Plan of Dyn.30 fort-temple enclosure wall and adjacent Dyn.26 mastaba-tombs (Plan: G. Mumford). |
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| In addition, widespread surface scraping
revealed a phase of domestic building at the northwestern area of the mound.
This phase lay above the Dynasty 26 mastabas, but had also been cut by the
enclosure wall's foundation trench. Hence, three phases of construction are
known: (1) Dynasty 26 mastabas, (2) Late Period housing, and (3) a Dynasty
30 enclosure wall with the foundations of several associated structures. The floors and foundations of two buildings lay inside the interior southwest and southeast corners of the enclosure wall. The southeast corner contained a small building with two phases of occupation, while the southwest corner had a small furnace inside a room. Both structures had the same alignment as the enclosure wall and exhibited foundation trenches cut from an ancient surface that appears to have lain not far above the modern surface. It is assumed that the Persians removed the surface portions of the interior buildings in addition to the enclosure wall during their conquest of the delta. |
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Area SW-1 (2003):In the 2003 season, Unit SW-1 encompassed the fort-temple's foundation trench in the interior, southwest corner area of the fort-temple enclosure wall. This wall had been partly exposed by the 2002-3 SCA salvage operations, with test pits placed at irregular intervals through the brickwork. The Toronto expedition was unable to locate the southwest foundation deposit for the fort-temple enclosure wall, but discovered that the 10.50 to 11.50 metre wide enclosure wall lay on a broader wall base that encompassed the full area of the foundation trench, at a lower level within the foundation trench. In the southwest corner, the base of the enclosure wall lay 2.20 metres below the preserved wall top, while we excavated to a depth of over 3 metres into earlier periods. |
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SW corner of Dyn.30 fort-temple enclosure wall in SCA 2002-3 excavation area; remnants of Dyn.26 mastaba-tombs in foreground (Photo: P. Carstens). |
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| As in the eastern side of the enclosure wall, the southwest part of the enclosure wall's foundation trench had cut through earlier, Dynasty 26 mastabas, excavated by the SCA in 2002-3. Of interest, beside the interior southwest enclosure wall's corner, a chamber and furnace displayed the same alignment as the adjacent fort-temple enclosure wall. Although this structure had been already mostly excavated, further investigation of an adjacent, unexcavated area revealed that it had also been placed in a foundation trench cutting through the earlier Dynasty 26 mastabas in this area. Hence, this structure was contemporary with the fort-temple enclosure wall. | |||||
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Dyn.26 mastaba-tombs (Area SW-1) adjacent to the interior corner of the foundations of the Dyn.30 enclosure wall (Photos: G. Mumford). |
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Unit Y-4 and related units (2003):In Unit Y-4, which encompassed the area immediately north of the southern enclosure wall, we investigated a parallel massive walling system that lay along the same alignment as the main fort-temple enclosure wall. This area contained the southern end of a substantial north-south, interior walling system that subdivided the fort-temple enclosure into a western and eastern section. This area also yielded much limestone debris embedded into the sub-surface, including a large limestone lintel. The western and northern parts of this interior walling system had been cut by the water plant construction area. |
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Exposing the top of an interior enclosure wall inside the Dyn.30 enclosure (Photos: G. Mumford).Units T.3, U.3, V.3-4, W.3-4, X.3-4, Y.4-5, and Z.3-5 revealed traces of an interior walling system that extended for at least 65 metres northwards and 20 metres westwards. It measured about 6.5 metres in width and had exterior buttressing like the outer enclosure wall. Like the outer wall, it also cut through the Dynasty 26 mastaba-tombs. |
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Exposing the top of an interior enclosure wall inside the Dyn.30 enclosure (Photos: G. Mumford). |
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Unit X-3 (2003):Unit X-3 lay at the eastern edge of the water plant construction area, along the western edge of the mound. It revealed a southern turn, or extension, in the massive interior walling system, the foundation trench for this walling system, and the southern face of a Dynasty 26 mastaba that extended to the north, just beyond the foundation trench for the fort-temple's interior and exterior enclosure walls. Three metres below the mound edge's modern surface, we located a lower, reddish surface associated with the Dynasty 26 mastabas. This surface yielded an intact bowl with a "pie-crust" rim, matching the Late Period vessels found in the street area of Unit G-14. In this area, the exposed chambers along the western edge of the mound in this area contained human bones from burials within the mastabas. |
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Above: Northern section and face of Dyn.30 enclosure
wall foundations beside a Dyn.26 mastaba-tomb, Units Y-3 and Z-3 (Photo: P.
Carstens).
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Unit W-11 (2003):A small excavation unit, designated W-11, was established at the southeast, interior corner of the enclosure wall to investigate a pit cut into the top of the foundation trench. The pit lay against the northern and western face of the enclosure’s interior wall. The pit yielded a rich deposit of bronze fittings, beads, and other artifacts within a matrix of red-burnt soil and numerous tiny, burnt human bone fragments. |
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Above: Unit W-11: Excavation of a pit placed within the foundation trench and against the SE interior corner of the fort-temple enclosure wall (Photo: P. Carstens). Right: S. Parcak excavating this pit (Photo: P. Carstens). |
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| The pit in Unit W-11 contained numerous bronze fittings from figurines of different, and probably perishable materials (e.g., wood). Some of these fittings included pieces from headdresses of deities, such as SF-56 illustrated below from this pit and a parallel example (SF-1) from the fort-temple enclosure’s foundation trench in adjacent Unit V-11. | |||||
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Left: Bronze headdress fitting (sf.1) from a votive
figurine found in Unit V-11, near the pit in Unit W-11 (Photo: P. Carstens).
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Unit W-11: Bronze fittings from votive figurines placed in a pit
(Photos: P. Carstens).
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Unit W-11: bronze flail-fitting from votive figurines placed in a pit. Left: (sf.8) and right: (sf.9) (Photos: P. Carstens).Many faience disk-beads and cylindrical beads were found in the pit, but may represent a single necklace. Of note, the foundation trench of the fort-temple enclosure wall, into which the W-11 cache pit was dug, also contained other votive figurines. A seated figurine of Horus-the-child, missing its wooden(?) throne-base, was found in the enclosure wall’s foundation trench in Unit X-10, about 12 metres to the west of the W-11 cache pit. This figurine has parallels dating to Dynasty 26. |
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Above: Unit W-11: cylindrical and disk-shaped faience beads
(sf.22) from a pit.
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| Although the inclusion in Pit W-11 of numerous small, burnt fragments of human bones --from multiple individuals-- might suggest a foreign cremation burial, in the absence of pottery from a cremation urn it is more likely that the fire-reddened soil and tiny burnt bones represent the materials used to fill the pit. The cultic artefacts from Pit W-11, and other isolated cultic figurines and pieces from the fort-temple’s foundation trench, suggest a purposeful burial of Late Period sacred votive figurines and fittings in the foundation trench of the Dynasty 30 temple --not unlike the votive caches from Karnak and Luxor temples which yielded thousands of figurines, statuettes, and other items buried in cache pits within the temple to make room for new votive offerings. | |||||
Area NE-1 (2003):With the generous permission of the land-owner (Mr. Maher), the Toronto project excavated five trenches (I-V) within a 16 by 100 metre fallow field, designated as Area NE-1, which extended northwards from the mound edge. The eastern side of the enclosure was traced to a point 280 metres north of the southeast corner, but the satellite image indicates that the northeast corner lay beyond the boundaries of this field, under the modern rice fields, about 352 metres to the north of the enclosure's southeast corner. Trenches I-IV yielded definite traces of the enclosure wall, while Trench V soon filled with water and produced limited results. Confirmation of the location of the northeast corner and foundation deposits await future survey and excavation work. |
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Above: Tracing Dyn.30 fort-temple enclosure wall in
a fallow field (Area NE-1) north of Tell Tebilla (Photo: P. Carstens).
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Conclusions:The 1999-2003 and previous investigations at Tell Tebilla have revealed that this site was an important port-town with a major temple, 12 km to the north of Mendes. It has yielded Old Kingdom, New Kingdom, and Third Intermediate Period to Late Period pottery, artifacts, and buildings, and some later Ptolemaic-Roman activities. The 1988-2003 SCA and Toronto investigations and water plant construction have produced inscribed blocks, architectural pieces, and statuary from a possible New Kingdom temple, and an historically known Third Intermediate Period to Late Period temple. The discovery of a large enclosure wall (235 by 352 metres) with exterior buttressing indicates the presence of a fort-temple structure one-sixth the size of the temple at Sais and one quarter the size of Karnak Temple. The comparative table of Late Period temple enclosures (below) reveals that the fort-temple enclosure at Tell Tebilla represents the lower range of medium-sized temples, matching the temple enclosures at Naukratis, Dendera, Behbeit el-Hagar, and the Anubieion and Bubastieion at Saqqara. Parallel buttressing and construction techniques in the Dynasty 30 enclosure wall at Tanis suggests that Tebilla’s fort-temple probably dates to Nectanebo I's historically known construction of fort-temples at the mouth of each delta river to defend Egypt against an expected Persian invasion (ca.343 B.C., Artaxerxes III). |
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Left: Comparative sizes of Tell Tebilla’s fort-temple enclosure and other
enclosure walls of Dynasties 26 & 30
(Chart: G. Mumford).
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