Temple of Montu (Medamud)

Medamud was excavated by French archaeologist Fernand Bisson de la Roque from 1925 to the post-war, and revealed many buildings including a temple dedicated to Montu.

This temple replaced an ancient sanctuary and consists of an open forum with a tower and enclosing two mounds that housed the chapels of worship.

[4] From 1925-1932, the Medamud Temple of Montu was excavated by French archaeologist Fernand Bisson de la Roque of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale[5] in conjunction with the Louvre.

Prior to construction of the Middle Kingdom temple, the site had been burned and earlier mounds were razed.

The temple's features included a tribune platform, a canal, a dromos, main gate, portico, hall, and sanctuary.

Typical of the period, the temple was built out of brick - it included raw elements for the doors and frames, and column or carved stone, the bases of which were decorated.

The plan of the sanctuary of the Middle Kingdom is still subject to discussion, but it was to have at least one hypostyle antechamber giving access to chapels of worship or shrine.

This temple has provided many examples of royal statuary and lithic elements of Ancient Egyptian architecture.

The enclosure of the temple included a sacred lake and a deep well but was blocked off because it represented a danger to children playing in the area.

The temple continued to be enlarged and decorated for centuries under the Roman emperors, including Tiberius (14–37),[15] up until the reign of Antoninus Pius.

Although grass grows throughout the site, there is evidence of ancient pilgrims in the form of graffiti or engraved footprints.

A long corridor retained the scenes of the cult of the bull Buchis, which dates mostly from the emperor Domitian (81–96).