**Gebelein**[^1] ([[Egyptian Arabic]]: الجبلين, Two Mountains; [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]]: **Inerty** or **Per-Hathor**; [[Ancient Greek]]: Παθυρις *Pathuris* or Ἀφροδιτόπολις *Aphroditópolis*;[^2] [[Latin]]: *Pathyris* or *Aphroditopolis*) is an archaeological site and former town in [[Egypt]]. It is located on the [[Nile]], about 40 km south of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]], in the [[New Valley Governorate]].

The modern geographic area is known as Naga el-Gherira ([[Egyptian Arabic]]: الغريرة).[^2]

## Archaeology

Gebelein is known for its cemetery, where archeological finds stretching from the [[Ancient Egypt|Predynastic Period]] to the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] have been made.[^5][^6] Archaeological interest in the town started in the early 18th century AD and was included in [[Benoît de Maillet]]'s *Description de l'Egypte*.[^7] As well as official excavations, many artifacts from the site were traded on the antiquities market and can be found in the museums of Turin, Cairo, Berlin, Lyons, and the [[British Museum]].[^2]

### Predynastic mummies

The Gebelein predynastic mummies are six naturally mummified bodies, dating to approximately 3400 BC from the Late Predynastic period of Egypt, and were the first complete pre-dynastic bodies to be discovered. The well-preserved bodies were excavated at the end of the nineteenth century by Wallis Budge, the British Museum Keeper for Egyptology, from shallow sand graves near Gebelein (modern name Naga el-Gherira) in the Egyptian desert.[^1]

A Pre-dynastic mummified body dated to 3400 BC, excavated from this site, has been on display in the British Museum since 1901.[^8]

### Temple of Hathor

The site includes the remains from a temple to [[Hathor]] with a number of [[Cartouches|cartouches]] on mud bricks and a royal [[Stela|stela]] from the [[Second Dynasty of Egypt|Second]] to [[Third Dynasty of Egypt|Third]] Dynasties.[^9] The temple is located on the east hill of the site. Items of several [[Second Intermediate Period of Egypt|Second Intermediate Period]] rulers include a stele of [[Dedumose II]], a block of [[Djedankhre Montemsaf]], and a stela of a ruler named Sekhemtawy. [[Hyksos]] rulers mentioned are [[Apepi (pharaoh)|Apophis]] (on a lintel) and [[Khyan]] (on a black granite block).[^9]

Later period finds include a brick naming the [[High Priest of Amun]] [[Menkheperre]] and his wife Isetemkheb. The brick likely came from the Fort that enclosed the temple.[^9] From the Ptolemaic period came fragments of a statue of [[Ptolemy VIII Physcon|Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II]] Limestone fragments from the shrine that would have held the statue were also found.[^9]

### Ptolemaic period military camp

During the reign of [[Ptolemy VI Philometor]], a military camp was established at Gebelein after the Theban rebellion of 186 B.C.[^10] The camp was destroyed by rebel forces 88 BC and the site was never again inhabited on a larger scale. Several hundred Demotic and Greek papyri and [[Ostraca|ostraca]] pertaining to the soldiers and the local temple were found at the ruins between 1890 and 1930. These including the archive of the mercenary [[Horos son of Nechoutes]] and the [[Dryton and Apollonia Archive]].[^10]

### Northern necropolis

The northern necropolis also included the [[Tomb of Iti and Neferu]], a semi-rock-cut First Intermediate Period tomb whose wall paintings and burial equipment are now mainly preserved in the Museo Egizio in Turin.

## Notes

[^1]: Budge, Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis (1920), [*By Nile and Tigris: a narrative of journeys in Egypt and Mesopotamia on behalf of the British Museum between the years 1886 and 1913*](https://archive.org/stream/cu31924088412592#page/n435), John Murray: London, [[OCLC (identifier)|OCLC]] [558957855](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/558957855)
[^2]: [[Kathryn A. Bard|Bard, Kathryn A.]]; Shubert, Steven Blake, eds. (1999), *Encyclopedia of the archaeology of ancient Egypt*, Routledge, p. 338, [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 978-0-415-18589-9
[^3]: Gauthier, Henri (1925). [*Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques*](https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1925_2). Vol. 1\. Societe Royale de Geographie d'Egypte. p. [86](https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1925_1/page/n49/mode/2up).
[^4]: Gauthier, Henri (1925). [*Dictionnaire des Noms Géographiques Contenus dans les Textes Hiéroglyphiques*](https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1925_2). Vol. 2\. Societe Royale de Geographie d'Egypte. p. [117](https://archive.org/details/Gauthier1925_2/page/n61/mode/2up).
[^5]: ["Gebelein human mummy, 3400 BC"](https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=117645&partId=1). British Museum. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
[^6]: ["Cosmetic-box, Graeco-Roman"](https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectId=172669&partId=1). British Museum. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
[^7]: Mascrier, Jean Baptiste Le; de Maillet, Benoit (1735), *Description de l'Egypte*, chez Louis Genneay
[^8]: Maev Kennedy (October 14, 1987). "Ancient Egyptian given new lease of life: Maev Kennedy goes down among the dead men at the British Museum to see a mummy made up". *The Guardian (London)*.
[^9]: Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind. *Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings, V Upper Egypt: Sites (Volume 5)*. Griffith Institute. 2004.
[^10]: J. G. Manning, Land and Power in Ptolemaic Egypt: The Structure of Land Tenure, Cambridge University Press, May 29, 2003 (Via Google books)