Syene
Syene, located in Upper Egypt on the east bank of the Nile near the First Cataract, has a rich historical significance dating back to the fourth millennium BC. Initially a trading hub known for quarrying red granite—specifically, the notable Syenite stone—the city evolved over centuries to become a vital customs outpost during the Ptolemaic period, superseding the nearby island of Elephantine. Syene was also the site where the ancient astronomer Eratosthenes famously estimated the Earth's circumference by comparing shadows with those observed in Alexandria.
With the Roman annexation of Egypt, Syene continued to be strategically important as a frontier post, defending against invasions and serving as a customs station. The city's architectural legacy includes ancient temples dedicated to various deities, such as Isis and Trajan, alongside remnants of a Nilometer at Elephantine. Today, many of Syene’s historical monuments, particularly those from Philae, have been relocated due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, highlighting the interplay between ancient heritage and modern developments. The area's diverse history reflects a blend of religious, cultural, and military influences that shaped its significance in ancient Egypt.
Syene
(Aswan)
A city in Upper Egypt, on the right (east) bank of the Nile, below the First Cataract. It was already a trading town in the fourth millennium BC, quarrying red granite, the famous Syenite stone. Under the Ptolemies Syene replaced Elephantine (formerly Abu, an adjoining river island, seat of the worship of the god of the cataract Khnum, and of a sixth-century Jewish community) as the frontier and customs outpost; while Elephantine also gradually lost its significance as an Egyptian religious center to another island, Philae just above the cataract. The astronomer Erastosthenes visited Syene c 250, and it was there that, by comparing the size of the sun's shadow with Alexandria, he was able to estimate the circumference of the earth.
After the Roman annexation of Egypt (30) the place stood at the northern extremity of the boundary zone known as the Dodecaschoenus (seeAegyptus); it was freed from invaders from Meroe (seeAethiopia), and provided with a garrison, in 25, retaining or resuming its position as a customs station. In the later empire, when Syene formed the frontier post of the province of the Thebaid (and subsequently the Upper Thebaid), it became vulnerable to attacks from the southern tribe of the Blemmyes, until an agreement was reached under the eastern emperor Marcian (451).
In addition to its ancient Pharaonic monuments, the site displays the granite gateway of a temple of Alexander the Great's posthumous son Alexander IV (d. c 310), the remains of shrines of Isis (fourth century BC) and Trajan (AD 98–117), and an early Coptic church. At Elephantine a Nilometer mentioned by Strabo is still to be seen—a steeply graded staircase plunging down the side of the island into the river. The principal monuments of Philae, threatened with submersion by the Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser (1964), have been moved to the nearby island of Agilkia. They include a Ptolemaic restoration of the Kiosk of Nectanebo I (380–362 BC), a much-reconstructed Ptolemaic and Roman temple of Isis (including the Birth House of Ptolemy VI Philometor [180–145], later restored, containing twenty-two rooms and a crypt decorated with scenes of the Birth of Horus), temples of Horus the Avenger and Hathor and Augustus (31 BC–AD 14), a four-sided portico known as the Kiosk of Trajan or `Pharaoh's Bed,’ and a gateway built by Diocletian (AD 284–305). It was not until AD 557 that Bishop Theodorus was able to convert part of the temple of Isis into a church.