Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The Roman Period temple of Isis at Shenhur was built and decorated during the reign ofAugustus (30 BCE – 14 CE) through that of Trajan (98 – 117 CE). The site of Shenhur islocated between two major cult centers, Koptos and Thebes, in Upper Egypt. While boththeological systems were influential at Shenhur, the temple was mainly influenced by that ofKoptos; the structure’s decoration thus constituted an important part of the regional culttopography. Excavations in and around the temple have revealed that a colonnade was added to itsexterior during the reign of Tiberius or later, and that the structure was used as a habitationduring the fifth to seventh centuries CE.