Chapel of King Nectanebo I Uncovered in
Ancient Heliopolis, Egypt
Bible and archaeology news
Robin Ngo • 04/15/2015
This carved basalt block belongs to a chapel built by King Nectanebo I. Remains of the chapel
were recently excavated at ancient Heliopolis. Photo: Courtesy Ministry of Antiquities.
Archaeologists excavating at the site of ancient Heliopolis underneath modern-day Cairo, Egypt,
have discovered evidence of a chapel belonging to King Nectanebo I of the 30th Dynasty.
Remains of the chapel include carved basalt blocks and a portion of a statue depicting King
Merneptah of the 19th Dynasty presenting an offering to a god.
Working as part of an Egyptian-German project, the archaeologists also uncovered pottery and
other materials from the Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods. Excavation of the chapel will
be completed in the next field season, Dr. Detrich Rau, head of the German team, said in an
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announcement.
In the free eBook Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus, top scholars discuss the historical
Israelites in Egypt and archaeological evidence for and against the historicity of the Exodus.
Granite head of King Nectanebo I, now on display at the Louvre.
King Nectanebo I, who ruled from 380 to 362 B.C.E., was the founder of the last native Egyptian
dynasty. Nectanebo I ascended to the throne by overthrowing King Nepherites II of the 29th
Dynasty during a period of unrest. In 373, Nectanebo successfully prevented the Persian
Achaemenids from reconquering Egypt, which had gained its independence in 402. The
Achaemenids nevertheless briefly recaptured Egypt in 343 before falling to Alexander the Great
in 332 B.C.E.
A master builder, Nectanebo I built, restored and enlarged temples in such cities as Philae,
Hermopolis, Memphis, Karnak, Edfu—and Heliopolis.
Ancient Heliopolis (meaning “city of the sun” in Greek; its Egyptian name was Iunu) was the
chief cult center of the sun god Ra and the closely associated local sun god Atum. Today, little
has survived of the temple complex save for the still-standing obelisk of Sesostris I, the oldest
existing obelisk. We can, however, get a picture of the temple complex’s former grandiosity
through the bits of excavated remains that have come to light as well as literary sources
describing the ancient religious center (Herodotus II.59.3; Strabo XVII.1.27–29; etc.). Heliopolis
is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah 19:18; Jeremiah 43:13), where it is sometimes referred
to as On (Genesis 41:45,50, 46:20; Ezekiel 30:17).