Wednesday, September 03, 2008

New Book: Philae and the End of Ancient Egyptian Religion

What's New in Papyrology

Philae and the End of Ancient Egyptian Religion. A Regional Study of Religious Transformation (298-642 CE)
Author: Dijkstra J.H.F.
Series: Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, 173
Year: 2008

Summary:
The famous island of Philae, on Egypt's southern frontier, can be considered the last major temple site where Ancient Egyptian religion was practiced. According to the Byzantine historian Procopius, in 535-537 CE the Emperor Justinian ordered one of his generals to end this situation by destroying the island's temples. This account has usually been accepted as a sufficient explanation for the end of the Ancient Egyptian cults at Philae. Yet it is by no means unproblematic.

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