Letopolis

Letopolis
Λητοῦς Πόλις
ⲟⲩϣⲏⲙ, ⲃⲟⲩϣⲏⲙ
اوسيم
Letopolis is located in Egypt
Letopolis
Letopolis
Coordinates: 30°07′N 31°08′E / 30.117°N 31.133°E / 30.117; 31.133
CountryEgypt
Area
 • Total72.41 km2 (27.96 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total415,735
 • Density5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
Standard of the Letopolite nome
Five faience ushabti of Ankh-hapi, a priest in Letopolis during the Ptolemaic dynasty. Bologna, Museo Civico Archeologico

Letopolis (Greek: Λητοῦς Πόλις) was an ancient Egyptian city, the capital of the second nome of Lower Egypt. Its Egyptian name was Khem 𓋊𓐍𓐝𓂜𓊖𓉐 (ḫm),[2] and the modern site of its remains is known as Ausim (Arabic: اوسيم, from Coptic: ⲟⲩϣⲏⲙ, ⲃⲟⲩϣⲏⲙ).[3][4][5] The city was a center of worship of the deity Khenty-irty or Khenty-khem, a form of the god Horus. The site and its deity are mentioned in texts from as far back as the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC), and a temple to the god probably stood there very early in Egyptian history. The only known monuments at the site, however, date to the reigns of pharaohs from the Late Period (664–332 BC): Necho II, Psamtik II, Hakor, and Nectanebo I.[6][4]

  1. ^ a b "Awsīm (Markaz, Egypt) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  2. ^ Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature Vol. III: The Late Period, Berkeley 1980, p.84
  3. ^ Peust, Carsten. "Die Toponyme vorarabischen Ursprungs im modernen Ägypten" (PDF). p. 16.
  4. ^ a b Snape, Steven (2014). The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-500-77240-9.
  5. ^ "Trismegistos". www.trismegistos.org. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
  6. ^ Wilkinson, Richard H. (2000). The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. p. 111