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Damaged black-granite sphinx and granite column known as 'Pompey's pillar', Alexandria, Nile Delta region, Egypt

Catalog Data

Photographer:
Elisofon, Eliot  Search this
Collection Photographer:
Elisofon, Eliot  Search this
Extent:
1 Slide (col.)
Type:
Archival materials
Slides
Color slides
Place:
Africa
Egypt
Date:
1961
Scope and Contents:
"The Serapeum, the most important temple of Serapis, was located in the native Egyptian quarter of Rakhotis. Evidently founded in the reign of Ptolemy III, much of the temple was constructed in the first centuries AD, though the famous granite column known as 'Pompey's pillar', dates to much later, around AD 297. Today, little else remains. South of the column two red-granite sphinxes of probable Ptolemaic date still stand, with a damaged black-granite sphinx of the 18th century." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. "Alexandria (now Al-Iskandariyah) is located on a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariut; it is now partially submerged. It was the renowned capital of the Ptolemies when they ruled Egypt. The city was famed for being the site of convergence of Greek, Arab and Jewish ideas." [The J.P.Getty Fund: Thesaurus of Geographic Names]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was working on "The Nile" project and traveled to Africa from March 14, 1961 to March 31, 1961, visiting Egypt.
Local Numbers:
T 6 EGY 877 EE 61
General:
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note:
62165 2
Frame value is 30.
Slide No. T 6 EGY 877 EE 61
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Collection Rights:
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Topic:
Monuments  Search this
Architecture -- Egypt  Search this
Cultural landscapes  Search this
Animals, Mythical  Search this
Sphinxes (Mythology)  Search this
Genre/Form:
Color slides
Collection Citation:
Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Identifier:
EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EECL 18491
See more items in:
Eliot Elisofon Field collection
Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Egypt
Archival Repository:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7f34a9101-b748-4b9c-bdf7-1620a827d3e5
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-eepa-1973-001-ref10013