- Heliopolis, means ‘City of the Sun’, and was the capital of the 13th Nome of Lower Egypt. It is one of Egypt’s oldest cities.
- It was the capital and spiritual centre of Lower Egypt, whilst Thebes was the capital and the spiritual centre of Upper Egypt.
The Archeological Site
- The site of ancient Heliopolis is located in the suburbs of modern Cairo.
- The site was first excavated by the Italian Egyptologist E. Sciaparelli between 1903-4 CE, and by the British Archeologist Flinders Petrie in 1912 CE.
The Great Temple of Atum
- Heliopolis was the centre of worship of Atum, the Sun God (Ra).
- Macrobius (c.400 CE) in (Saturnalia.i.23) wrote that when Alexander the Great passed through Baalbeck, the Syrian Heliopolis, the priests were sent from the Great Temple of Ra-Atum in Heliopolis.
- The Temple of Ra-Atum is now an Archeological site.
Seat of learning in Ancient Egypt
- The Temple had an extensive library, and Heliopolis was famous for its schools of Astronomy and Philosophy. Plato, Pythagorus and Solon all studied there.
- Under the Greeks, the seat of learning was moved to Alexandria, and by the time Strabo (c.64 BCE – 24 CE) visited Heliopolis, the only inhabitants were priests.
Manetho
- Manetho was the Chief Priest of Heliopolis.
- He wrote the history of the Dynasties of the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Heliopolis, suburb of Cairo