Ancient World

Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)

Heliopolis (Jwnw, Iunu; Ancient Egyptian: 𓉺𓏌𓊖, romanized: jwnw, lit. 'the Pillars'; Coptic: ⲱⲛ, Biblical Hebrew: אֹן, romanized: ʾOn; Greek: Ἡλιούπολις, romanized: Hēlioúpolis, lit. 'City of the Sun') was a major city of ancient Egypt. It was the capital of the Heliopolite or 13th Nome (province or district) of Lower Egypt and a major religious centre. Its site is within the boundaries of Ain Shams and El Matareya districts (kism) in northeastern Cairo. One of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, occupied since prehistoric Egypt, it greatly expanded under the Old and Middle Kingdoms. Today it is mostly ruined, as its temples and other buildings having been scavenged for the construction of medieval Cairo. Most information about the ancient city comes from surviving records. A major surviving remnant of Heliopolis is the obelisk of the Temple of Ra-Atum erected by Senusret I of the Twelfth Dynasty. It remains in its original position (now in el-Masalla, El Matareya). The 21 m (69 ft) high red granite obelisk weighs 120 tons (240,000 lbs) and is believed to be the oldest surviving obelisk in the world. Other obelisks originating in Heliopolis were taken by the Romans after their conquest of Egypt. The taller 25 m (82 ft) Vatican obelisk, was taken by Emperor Caligula, and now stands in St. Peter's Square, the only ancient obelisk in Rome never to have fallen. Emperor Augustus took the Obelisk of Montecitorio from Heliopolis to Rome, where it remains. Two smaller obelisks called Cleopatra's Needles, now in London and New York, were also originally from Heliopolis.

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See also

• ▸Hoxne Hoard
• ▸Art theft
• ▸Dadiani Palace

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