(ORDO NEWS) — Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a temple of the ancient Greek god Zeus in the Sinai Peninsula, antiquities experts said. An article about this was published on the phys.org portal.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement that the ruins of the temple were discovered at the archaeological site of Tell el-Pharma.
Tell el-Pharma, also known by its ancient name Pelusium, is from the late pharaonic period and was also used in Greco-Roman and Byzantine times. There are remains from the Christian and early Islamic periods.
Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of Egypt‘s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said archaeologists have unearthed the ruins of the temple through its entrance gate, where two huge fallen granite columns were visible. According to him, the gate was destroyed by a strong earthquake in ancient times.
Vaziri noted that ruins were found between Fort Pelusium and a memorial church at the site. Archaeologists have found a set of granite blocks, probably used to build a staircase by which worshipers could get to the temple.
Excavations in the area began in early 1900, when French Egyptologist Jean Cledat found ancient Greek inscriptions indicating the existence of a temple of Zeus-Kasios, but he did not dig it up, the ministry said.
Zeus-Kasios is an amalgamation of Zeus, god of the sky in ancient Greek mythology, and Mount Kasios in Syria, where Zeus was once worshiped.
Hisham Hussain, director of archaeological sites in Sinai, said inscriptions found in the area show that the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138) renovated the temple.
He clarified that experts will study the found blocks and conduct photogrammetric surveys to help determine the architectural design of the temple.
The temple ruins, he says, are the latest in a series of ancient discoveries that Egypt has been touting over the past couple of years in hopes of attracting more tourists.
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