Free Republic

The Egyptian-German mission has uncovered a collection of decorated blocks and fragments from the King Nactanebo I temple at the Matariya archaeological site in Heliopolis.Aymen Ashmawy, head of the ancient Egyptian antiquities sector and head of the mission from the Egyptian side, explains that the inscriptions mention the regnal years 13 and 14... as well as the dimensions and the materials used in this sanctuary.“Several blocks were unfinished too and no further decoration work seems to have been commissioned after the death of Nectanebo I...” he said, adding that other architectural elements attest to the building projects of Ramesses II...

The shrine belonged to the 30th Dynasty Pharaoh Nectanebo I (379 B.C.-360 B.C.,)” said Damaty. The mission also unearthed remains of limestone colonnade and a “well-preserved” ceiling that are strongly believed to have been a part of an ancient Egyptian temple, Damaty said, adding that ruins of the mud brick outer enclosure wall surrounded the temple, along with royal bust belonged to the New Kingdom (1580 B.C.-1080 B.C.) Pharaoh Merenptah, were also excavated in the area. Nectanebo I was the founder of the 30th Dynasty: the last native Egyptian royal family to rule ancient Egypt before Alexander the Great conquered...