Athribis The Ancient Egyptian Cities

Names: Athribis or Athlibis 

Athribis or Athlibis was the Greek name for two cities of ancient Egypt.

• In Lower Egypt

The chief town of the Athribite, the Tenth nome. 

• Athribis (Upper Egypt)

The ancient city of Hut-Repyt in Upper Egypt, also 

Athribis (Lower Egypt)

Overview

A small hill, Tell Atrib, northeast of the modern town of Banha, north of Cairo, now marks its former site. Athribis stood upon the eastern bank of the Tanitic branch of the Nile, now silted up, near the angle where that branch diverges from the main stream. 

Athribis (Upper Egypt)

also known to the ancient Greeks as Triphieion or Tripheion, and to the ancient Egyptians as Hut-Repyt, was an ancient city of Egypt, in the Panopolite nome. The modern village of Wannina in the Sohag Governorate is situated here. It is located some 10 km southwest of the city of Akhmim, on the west bank of the Nile.

Overview The city is the site of a temple built for the goddess Repyt (Triphis) by Ptolemy XV Caesarion and subsequent Roman Emperors. South of this temple was an earlier temple of Ptolemy IX Soter II. One of the tombs nearby, belonging to the brothers Ibpemeny "the younger" and Pemehyt of the late 2nd century BC, has two zodiacs on its ceiling.

The Athribite name:
The Athribite name and its capital derived their name from the goddess Thriphis, whom inscriptions both at Athribis and Panopolis denominate the most great goddess. 

Thriphis is associated in worship with Amun Khem, one of the first quaternion of deities in Egyptian mythology, but no representation of her has been at present identified. John Gardner Wilkinson supposes Athribis to have been one of the lion-headed goddesses, whose special names have not been ascertained.

About half a mile from Athribis are the quarries from which the stone used in building the temple was brought; and below the quarries are some small grotto tombs, the lintels of whose doors are partially preserved. 

Upon one of these lintels is a Greek inscription, ideentifying it as the sepulchre of Hermeius, son of Archibius. He had not, however, been interred after the Egyptian fashion, since his tomb contained the deposit of calcined bones. 

Vestiges also are found in two broad paved causeways of the two main streets of Athribis, which crossed each other at right angles, and probably divided the town into four main quarters. The causeways and the ruins generally indicate that the town was greatly enlarged and beautified under the Ptolemies.

Thanks

Manal Raafat

MR