Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The settlement of el-Dakka, ancient Pselchis, is best known for its temple, built and decorated in the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods, but settlement there can be traced back to prehistoric times. At the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty an Egyptian fortress was built opposite el-Dakka, at Quban (or Contra Pselchis). Lower Nubia formed a military buffer-zone at Egypt’s southern frontier, and Quban and its fortress played a significant role in the establishment of direct Egyptian control over natural resources. Around the fortress a settlement developed during the New Kingdom, when Nubia was Egypt’s southern colony. In the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods el-Dakka was part of the Dodekaschoinos, a border region where a series of temples was built or extended, including the temple of el-Dakka, dedicated to Thoth of Pnubs.