Dodekaschoinos and Philae Temple of Isis

Author: * Neseret Sekhmet - 21 Posts on this thread out of 21 Posts sitewide.
Date: Nov 20, 2006 - 23:12

Senenanep Meritamen wrote "During the Ptolemaic times, the Agents of Isis regulated the dodekaschoinos area near the First Cataract. If possible could you tell us more about the agents and their culture? David O'Connor and William Y. Adams briefly mention them and I find them here or there at a glance but nothing further."

First, let me point out that Ptoleamic Egyptian and Meroitic histories are not my strongest points. :)

That said, it is my understanding that in hieroglyphic texts the Dodekaschoinos is defined as the region between Syene on Elephantine and Takompso. Possibly, Takompso did not refer to a particular locality but designated the region where the southern border of Elephantine happened to be located at a particular point in time (Dietze 1994).

Originally held by the Nubians, the Dodekaschoinos area was won back during the Ptolemaic period, but the transfer of the Dodekaschoinos to the Philae temple of Isis was effected from the Khnum temple at Elephantine very early in the Ptolemaic period, according to a Greek stela from Elephantine (Dietze 1995).

For more information on the Dodekaschoinos, and its relation to the Temple of Philae and the Isis cult, see

Burkhardt, A. 1985. Ägypter and Meroiten im Dodekaschoinos. Untersuchungen zur Typologie and Bedeutung der demotischen Graffiti. Meroitica: Schriften zur altsudanesischen Geschichte and Archäologie 8. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.

_____________. 1977. Das Dodekaschoinos und die Meroiten. Ein Beitrag zur Untersuchung der demotischen Graffiti des Dodekaschoinos und zur Geschichte des ägyptisch-meroitischen Grenzgebietes Ethnographisch-archäologische Zeitschrift [Berlin] 18: 85-89.

Dietze, G. 1995. Der Streit um die Insel Pso. Bemerkungen zu einem epigraphischen Dossier des Khnumtempels von Elephantine (Th. Sy. 244). Ancient Society [Leuven] 26: 157-184. __________. 1994. Philae und die Dodekaschoinos in ptolemäischer Zeit. Ein Beitrag zur Frage ptolemäischer Präsenz im Grenzland zwischen Ägypten und Afrika an Hand der architektonischen und epigraphischen Quellen. Ancient Society [Leuven] 25: 63-110.

Loret, V. 1903. L'atour et la Dodécaschène. Sphinx 7: 1-24.

Schubart, W. 1910. Dodekaschoinos. ZÄS 47: 154-157.

Sethe, K. 1901. Dodekaschoinos: das Zwölfmeilenland an der Grenze von Aegypten und Nubien. Leipzig: Hinrichs.

I hope this helps.

Katherine Griffis-Greenberg