Discoveries at Medinet Madi, Faiyum

http://tinyurl.com/ongrz (dailystar.com)
Work at the lovely Medinet Madi temple has apparently uncovered some new dimensions to the temple complex. The temple dates to the 12th Dynasty, under Amenemhat IV:

"An Egyptian archeological team has discovered a series of structures in the southwestern town of Faiyum that could yield vital data as to how a Middle Kingdom temple was built, the culture minister said Thursday. Farouk Hosni said the structures included administrative buildings, granaries and residences believed to have belonged to priests of the temple, which was dedicated to Renenutet, the goddess of harvest, as well as the crocodile-god Sobk and falcon-deity Horus, Hosni added. . . . Items found at the site included seals used by the priests of Renenutet with hieroglyphic inscriptions, a headless limestone statue, a bronze statue of a woman and papyri with Greek and demotic writings, said Abdel-Rahman al-Aidi, director of the SCA's excavations department and team leader. Some of the papyri contained royal correspondences, including one from the wife of Ptolemy I to the priest of the temple of Renenutet 'thanking him for the temple's magnificent services,' Hawas said."

See the above article for the full story.

Medinet Madi is super, always encroached upon by sand, with the most charming row of human- and lion-headed sphinxes, all in honey coloured stone. The photos that I've added are from 2003, when I last visited.

Also reported at:

http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=6972