Iunu (Heliopolis)

Main article: Ancient Egypt

Titles: Iunu, Heliopolis, On

The ancient Egyptian name of the city is Iunu. The Greeks called him Heliopolis, in the Bible he is referred to as Him.

In Heliopolis, from ancient times, there was a cult of inanimate fetishes - the obelisk stone pillar of benben, the fetish of Iunu, from which the ancient Egyptian name of the city - Iunu came.

Location: Northeast suburb of Cairo

The temple complex was located northeast of the modern one. Cairo As of 2026, the Mataria district, which is part of the governorate (region), is located at this place. Cairo

There is nothing left of the ancient Egyptian city except the obelisk of Senusert І.

From the preserved ruins of one temple fence, covering an area of ​ ​ 475 m x 1000 m, one can judge the size of the complex. There is reason to believe that there were temples of Atum and Ra-Harahti.

History

Information about the history of Egyptian cities, and in particular Heliopolis, is very scarce. This is due to the fact that only religious buildings - temples and tombs - were created from stone for centuries. Everything that was intended for everyday earthly life was built of raw brick and wood - materials of short-lived, quickly exposed to the destructive effects of time. From Egyptian cities, only miserable remains have survived to our time.

There are no texts telling about the history of cities at all, while information from ancient authors about the cities of Egypt is very far from completeness and accuracy.

Sacred animals and trees: lion pair, thousandths, scarab beetles, snake, willow

The sacred animals in Heliopolis were the divine lion couple, who were also revered northeast of Heliopolis, in Leontopolis (modern Tel el-Yahudia).

On the banks of the Nile, where modern Old Cairo is located, the cult of the god Sep flourished in the guise of a thousand.

Other animals were deified, which, however, did not have special places of worship. So, in Heliopolis, apparently, the deification of the beetle (Scarabeus sacer) was born, which was considered one of the incarnations of the oldest god Heliopolis - Atum.

Some gods were sometimes depicted as a snake, as was the oldest local demon Nehebkau.

In Heliopolis, from ancient times, there was a cult of trees - willow and a certain deciduous tree called ished were revered as goddesses.

2650 BC: Deification of Impochtep - High Priest of Heliopolis, the first medical man in history, architect of the step pyramid of Djoser

Imhotep is the first known high priest of Heliopolis, architect, vezir of the pharaoh of the IIІ dynasty of Josera and manager of the construction of his funeral complex in Saqqara, including the first pyramid in the world 60 meters high. For more information on the pyramid, see History of Ancient Egypt.

Imhotep Museum in Saqqara. TAdviser photo

The builder of the first large stone building in world history, the oldest physician known to science. In the late period of the development of Ancient Egypt Imhotep, he was deified in the status of the son of Ptah - the main deity of Memphis. His sanctuary is known to have attracted many believers seeking a cure for disease. His cult coped in Saqqara. The Greeks identified him with their Asclepius. The tomb of Imhotep has not been discovered.

The deification of the pharaoh in Egypt took place throughout the history of the country, spread to the Greek-Macedonian kings of Egypt - the Lagids (Ptolemaic), had an unconditional influence on the Roman emperors, whose empire Egypt was part of as a province. The deification of ordinary mortals was exceptional in Egypt. Representatives of the highest Egyptian bureaucracy could be deified. In addition to Imhotep, he was deified, for example, by the vezir Isi (the end of the Old Kingdom era). His cult went near Edfu at the end of the Middle Kingdom era.

A certain Amenhotep, the son of Hapu, who lived during the XVІІI dynasty, during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep ІII, was also deified. A memorial church was even built in his honor. These cults were very stable; their objects are mentioned in different texts in connection with their special qualities, inflated by folk rumors.

Some pharaohs were counted among this type of deities many years after death. They were honored as gods of a particular area. These were Amenemhat ІІІ in Fayum and Amenhotep І and his mother Ahmos-Nefrether in the Thebes necropolis.

Deification was a consequence of the impression made by the above persons in the area during their lifetime, or occurred in connection with the existence in the territory of legends and legends that developed about them after death. The process of deification was facilitated by a high social position, an approximation to the divine person of the pharaoh.

The priests of Heliopolis create the cults of Atum and the eight gods who were the first "rulers" of Egypt, and the pharaohs - "living Choirs" - their heirs

In Heliopolis, the oldest Egyptian theogony and cosmogony were created and developed, as far as can be judged. The emergence from the eternal chaos of the great, "self-created" chthonic god Atum ("perfect") was the beginning of the universe. Atum is associated with the pristine hill, which probably reminded the Egyptians of the appearance of land after the spills of the Nile.

Resorting to masturbation, spitting out his own seed, Atum created the first divine couple - the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut; this couple gave birth to the god Heb and the goddess Nut.

Shu is the god representing the space between heaven and earth, dividing heaven and earth, Tefnut is the female complement of Shu.

Geb is an anthropomorphic image of the earth, or just Earth, Chickpeas is an anthropomorphic goddess of the sky, or just Sky. Geb is in a horizontal position; Chickpeas, bent over him and resting on him with their hands and feet, is a neboswode that is supported above Heb, above the earth, the god Shu and the goddess Tefnut. In other words, Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut are deified cosmic elements.

They did not have special places of worship, temples were not erected in their honor, but they are completely mentioned in religious texts of mythological content. Only in Heliopolis were they assigned special places of worship.

Two pairs descended from Heb and Nut: Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephthys, who were not the original deities of Heliopolis, in particular Osiris - the god of Busiris. The inclusion of the deities of the Osiris circle and the myths related to it in the Heliopolian ennead and in the cycle of its myths occurred in ancient times at the initiative of the Heliopolian priesthood.

So Atum and his offspring make up a collection of nine deities, the Heliopolian nine, or ennead. This theogony, sufficiently abstract, reveals traces of the theological work of the Heliopolian priesthood. It was already attested in the Texts of the Pyramids and had a huge influence on the theological thought of other major religious centers, such as Memphis, Hermopol and Thebes.

The tradition of Heliopolis became all-Egyptian. Throughout its centuries-old history, the Egyptians considered, in accordance with the tradition of Heliopolis, the deity of the Heliopolian ennead to be their first kings, after which the god Choir, the son of Osiris and Isis, began to rule. This is followed by demigods and pharaohs. Pharaohs, the "living Choirs," were considered by this tradition the successors and descendants of the gods of the "big" Heliopolian Ennead, who ruled the ancient country.

Ra succeeds Atum at the head of the ennead of gods

When and how Atuma in Heliopolis was replaced by the god Ra, without displacing, however, completely, is unknown. Like Atum, Ra was here a demiurge, the head of the great nine (ennead) of the gods. The names of these gods, like Ra himself, are constantly mentioned in the "Pyramid Texts."

Ra is a tireless fighter against the dark forces of evil. In a stubborn, fierce struggle with evil, he relies on the gods close to him, primarily the Ennead gods, and wins. This motive is repeatedly found already in the "Texts of the Pyramids" (for example, §385), penetrates the teachings of the Heliopolian religious center. The struggle of the god Ra is cosmic in nature, "and in each hymn the sun deity is invariably praised by the victory of the latter over the monstrous enemy." This adversary is the pristine chaos, the aquatic element, the physical darkness and related creatures - snakes, crocodiles, hippos and, oddly enough, the harmless turtle.

Against whom exactly is the god Ra fighting, who are his enemies? This is the giant crocodile Maga; this is the snake Imi-Uhenef, whom the god Ra killed in Heliopol under the sycomore, taking the form of a fiery-red huge cat ("Book of the Dead," ch. XVІІ). "On the walls of the tomb of the kings of the 19th and 20th dynasties, we again meet Ra in the form of a cat"; this is a giant snake Apopi, the overthrow of which is dedicated to the Bremner-Rind papyrus, Nick snakes, etc. All of them embodied primitive chaos, water elements, physical ^[1].

The brightest representative of the forces of evil is the great serpent Apopi - the eternal enemy of the god Ra. "Gradually, Apopi becomes in Egyptian religious literature, as it were, a collective image of enemies of the sun. It is he who is the constant object of conjuring solar hymns and magical rituals... It is therefore clear that the image of the sun of a victorious warrior, first on foot, and later a horseman, subsequently strongly influenced both mythologically and iconographically the creation Christian Egypt of holy victorious horsemen in numerous cults: Sisinnius, Thebammon, Theodore, etc. "^[2]

It is also interesting that Ra not only created people, but also daily performs actions for their well-being. In the "Teaching of Merikar," lines 130-134 reflect the religious views of dignitaries of the time: "He created heaven and earth for them (people), he eliminated the crocodile from the waters. He distributed air for their nostrils. They are his likeness that came out of his body. He takes to the sky for them. He created plants and animals, birds and fish to feed them. He destroyed his enemies and [even] children, for they intended to rebel. He created light for their (people's) sake and floats [across the sky] so they can see. " He is a god not named by name. From the content of the quoted quote, it is clear that this is about God Ra.

Ra "succeeded" the element gods created by Atum. Chickpeas, Heaven, is the most colorful figure of the four deities he created. There were various mythological images of the sky. Here's one: an anthropomorphic goddess whose belly is a sky dotted with stars. At night these stars float along it, and during the day - inside it, because in the morning she eats them, and in the evening gives birth again. Due to the fact that Chickpeas eats her children daily, her husband, the god of the earth Geb, quarreled with her. It was for this reason that her father, the god Shu, separated the spouses and forever raised the goddess up - she was nicknamed "the pig eating his piglets." This interesting but poorly preserved text is inscribed in the tomb of Seti І near the Book of the Cow. A comparison of Nut with the Greek Kronos eating his children suggests itself.

Obelisk of Senusert I - the oldest surviving

Senusert І (c. 1990 BC - c. 1926 BC) e.), wanting to erect a temple to the god Ra in Jonah (Heliopolis), demanded that when laying a new sanctuary, the priest be guided by the instructions of the "divine scroll." Among the manuscripts of temple libraries was the "Book of the foundation of the temples of the first nine (ennead)," which was allegedly written by the subsequently deified famous architect and sage of the Old Kingdom Imhotep. This book, according to legend, was carried to heaven "when the gods left the earth," but then thrown from the sky by Imhotep and found north of Memphis.

The oldest obelisk known to science is an obelisk of red Aswan granite erected by the pharaoh KhІІ the Senusert dynasty І in front of the temple in Iuna. In modern times, it rises in the village of Matariye near Cairo. There were two obelisks, but the second, which stood in the KhІІ century. n e., as Arab sources say, has not been preserved.

Obelisk of Senusert I

Another obelisk from the time of the Middle Kingdom is in Tanis - it bears the name of Ramesses ІІ (Cairo Museum).

Obelisks have been widely used since the New Kingdom era, but many of them have survived from later times. The surfaces of the obelisks were covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Their height reached more than thirty meters. The most famous obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut, Thutmose І and Thutmose ІІІ.

Some obelisks are exported from Egypt and decorate the squares of Istanbul, Rome, Paris, London, New York.

It should be emphasized that the obelisk, being the subject of a cult in the "solar temples," was located inside the temple. Later, having ceased to be such, it was brought out of the temple and became the decoration of the temple in which the anthropomorphic or zoomorphic deity was worshipped.

Cult of the bull Mnevis, the oracle of the god Ra

The cult of bulls and cows existed for the most part in the areas of the Nile Delta, which at all times of Egyptian history was rich in pastures.

In Heliopolis, the black bull Mnevis (Greek form; Other-Egyptian Mr-wr). Like Apis, he was kept in a special room, after his death he was mummified and buried like Apis.

The same funeral ritual was practiced as in relation to dead people. Memorial scarabs, "substitutes" of the heart for Mnevis bulls, were discovered, on one of them - a formula almost identical to the formula on scarabs used in the mummification of people. Mnevisov was buried in the Heliopol Serapeum.

Mnevis was the oracle of the god Ra and his incarnation on earth. The cult of Mnevis has been attested by monuments since the XVІІ dynasty, but it dates back undoubtedly to more ancient times.

1155 BC: Ramesses I grants Heliopolis movable and immovable property

The well-known Harris І papyrus (about 1152 BC), preserved in the British Museum, the longest papyrus known to us (its 45 m length), contains a list of gifts - movable and immovable property - that the pharaoh of the 20th dynasty Ramesses І (1182-1151 BC) granted to the three largest religious centers of the country Thebes, Heliopolis and Memphis, as well as minor centers. The richest gifts went to the deities of Thebes - Amon, Mut and Hons, in second place were the gods of Heliopolis - Atum and Ra-Harahti. Thus, in its religious significance, Heliopol ranked first after the capital of Egypt - Thebes.

The same papyrus tells about the extensive construction and restoration of temples of Heliopolian deities by Ramesses ІІ.

456 BC: Herodotus visits Heliopolis and relays descriptions of the bird to benu (phoenix)

About the phoenix bird (dr.-egip. benu) Herodotus (ІІ, 73) narrates the following from the words of the Egyptians: "There is another sacred bird called the phoenix. I did not see the phoenix alive, but only images, since it rarely flies to Egypt: in Heliopolis they say that only once every 500 years. The phoenix arrives only when his father dies. If his image is correct, then the appearance of this bird and the magnitude are as follows. Its plumage is partly golden and partly red. The species and size it most closely resembles an eagle. This is what is told about him (this story seems implausible to me). Phoenix arrives as if from Arabia and carries with him the body of his father, touched by myrrh, to the temple of Helios, where he is buried. "

44 BC: Strabo catches the decline of Heliopolis

Of the ancient authors, only the geographer Strabo personally visited Heliopol and left a note about him: "In Heliupol I saw large houses in which priests lived, for in ancient times, according to stories, this city was just a quarter of priests who were engaged in philosophy and astronomy; now this association has ceased to exist and its occupations have ceased. Indeed, in Heliupol, I did not find a single leader of such activities, but only priests who make sacrifices and explain to strangers the meaning of sacred rites.. However, in Heliupol we were shown the houses of the priests and the schools of Plato and Eudoxus; Eudoxus arrived there with Plato, and they both, according to some writers, spent 13 years with the priests. "

Based on these words, it can be concluded that during the time of Strabo, Heliopolis was in a state of complete decline.

40: Caligula transports Heliopolis obelisk from Alexandria to Rome

According to Pliny, the obelisk today installed in the Vatican comes from the city of Heliopolis. He later stood at the Forum Julius in Alexandria. Emperor Caligula ordered the obelisk to be transported to Rome in 40 and installed in the center of the Circus of Nero, where it stood until 1586, when, by order of Pope Sixtus V, it was transported to the square in front of St. Petra Cathedral.

The Vatican obelisk is devoid of any hieroglyphs and inscriptions. It is not known whether the obelisk inscriptions were erased before it was transported to Rome, or whether they never existed.

Notes