Hermopolis — Thoth's Celestial Calendar

Your journey begins at the archaeological site of El-Ashmunein, ancient Hermopolis Magna. From the Late Period, around 664 BC, this city in Middle Egypt asserted itself as the religious capital of the god Thoth, deity of wisdom and the Egyptian calendar. The first steps lead you to the remains of the Great Temple of Thoth, estimated to be 300 meters long, built under Ptolemy III Euergetes between 246 and 222 BC. Flinders Petrie's excavations in 1907 revealed crucial hieroglyphic inscriptions here for understanding the Hermopolitan cult, marking the start of your quest for the Celestial Calendar.

Continue to the Temple of Thoth, a central monument of the site from the New Kingdom, around 1550 BC. You admire the Ptolemaic portico, with its monumental pillars 10 to 12 meters high, decorated with reliefs showing Thoth alongside King Philip III Arrhidaeus, who reigned from 323 to 317 BC. It is on these stones that inscriptions mention the 'Celestial Calendar', a collection of Theban texts copied in Hermopolis and linked to lunar and solar cycles, whose understanding is essential for your mission. Partial restorations under Ramesses II, between 1279 and 1213 BC, left reused blocks, visible on this ancient archaeological site.

Near the temple, the Sanctuary of the Sacred Baboons awaits you. These cynocephalus, sacred animals of Thoth, are depicted on statues and reliefs dating from the Ptolemaic Period (305-30 BC) discovered on the main site. 1 km south, a baboon cemetery excavated in the 1990s revealed over 250 animal mummies, dated from 300 BC to 100 AD. The reliefs show these baboons adoring Thoth, symbols of judgment and astronomical knowledge, valuable clues for reconstructing the lunar calendar.

Your route then takes you to the remains of the Roman Basilica of Hermopolis, a Christian church built in the 4th century AD on the ruins of the Temple of Thoth. Visible 500m from the main entrance, it uses reused columns 15 meters high, testifying to the Christianization of the site under Constantine (306-337 AD). Its dimensions, with a central nave 40m long, are adapted to Coptic rites. Although later, this basilica shows the evolution of the site and the integration of its materials into new structures, a lesson on the continuity of places of worship in Middle Egypt.

Finally, a pedestrian extension of 5 to 7 km southwest of El-Ashmunein leads you to Tuna el-Gebel, the Ptolemaic necropolis of Hermopolis. This necropolis houses the hypogea of Thoth's priestly family, dating from the 3rd century BC, as well as the tomb of Isadora (115 AD), a wealthy woman from Hermopolis, whose astronomical frescoes are directly linked to the calendar. The catacombs of sacred animals, extending over 1.5 km of galleries with mummies of ibises and baboons, confirm the importance of these creatures for Thoth. You conclude your exploration with a deep understanding of Thoth's place and his calendar in the history of this region of Middle Egypt.