Archeologists recently found an ancient temple hidden in a cliff face in Egypt. The temple is about 2,100 years old and has been there on the cliff in Athribis. However, it is still a much younger construction than the oldest temple on earth; the 11,600-year-old one was found in southern Turkey.
According to Live Science, the temple that was recently found in Egypt was made of stone and the team of archeologists found several details about it.
In a statement, the team said the temple's remains show King Ptolem VIII (who ruled from 170 to 116 BC) offering sacrifice to goddess Repit as well as her son Kolanthes.
For the unversed, Repit was the consort of the god of fertility Min-Ra. Archeologists believe the temple was dedicated to Repit but they still do not know the name of the building.
Christian Leitz, project leader and an Egyptology professor at the University of Tübingen, hopes that the team will learn more about the building with continuous excavation and analysis.
Inside the temple, a chamber was also unveiled that once held temple utensils. It is believed that the chamber was later used to store clay vessels. Another interesting thing that the team found at the entrance of the chamber was reliefs that depicted Min-Ra and Repit.
One of the reliefs saw Min-Ra with two decans. Decans are the stars that tell people time at night. They are a mix of animal heads and human bodies. A falcon and an ibis-headed decans were accompanying Min-Ra in the relief.
Details about the oldest temple on earth which is not in Egypt
Göbekli Tepe is the oldest temple on earth situated in southeastern Turkey, about 50 miles from Syria. In 2008, Klaus Schmidt, a German archeologist, made an archeological discovery by finding the massive carved stones that were arranged by prehistoric people without the help of metal tools.
Schmidt believes this is the oldest temple on earth.
Historians and archeologists suggest that the temple was made before the invention of the wheel or the beginning of agriculture. It is believed that hunter-gatherers built this temple which has magnificent sculptured large pillars.
The carvings on these pillars denote the beliefs of the people of Upper Mesopotamia.
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Several groups of archeologists are working on the temple's site and the excavation is expected to take up to five decades.
Archeologists have been excavating a larger temple district since 2012. The recently found temple is also a part of that district. More information about the building is awaited.
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