Tanta Museum, 58 miles north of Cairo, reopens after 19 years

Tanta Museum, 58 miles north of Cairo, reopens after 19 years.
Established in 1913, the Tanta Museum in Tanta, Egypt is one of the oldest regional museums in Egypt. The building has been renovated and two new galleries added to provide new display space for some of its 8,579 artifacts. Exhibited objects include bronze sculptures from the Greco-Roman period, funerary art, jewelry, ceramics, a statue of the famous ancient architect, Imhotep, who designed the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, a sculpture of the god Osiris and other votive grave offerings. The museum also houses a large collection of ancient coins. These finds were recovered from excavations of Naucratis, Sais, and Buto.
Naucratis, on the Canopic branch of the Nile River, was the first Greek colony in Egypt dating back to Mycenaean times, 1600-1100 BCE. After the collapse of Mycenaean civilization and the Greek dark ages (1100-750 BCE) there was a renaissance of Greek culture in Egypt during the 7th century BCE as reported by Herodotus. Famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie rediscovered the site in 1884-85. Archaeologists found a Temple of Aphrodite, A Temple of Hera, a Temple of Apollo and a Temple of the Dioscuri.
Sais was an ancient delta city that became the seat of power during the 24th - 26th dynasties (732 - 525 BCE). The Temple of Sais had a medical school associated with it, as did many ancient Egyptian temples. The medical school at Sais had many female students and apparently women faculty as well, mainly specializing in gynecology and obstetrics.
Buto, called Per-Wadjet by the ancient Egyptians, was once the location of the oracle of the patron goddess, Wadjet and sanctuaries of Horus and Bastet. Excavations in Buto were directed by the Egypt Exploration Society from 1964-69.


Image: An invocation to I-em-hetep, the Egyptian deity of medicine by Ernest Board courtesy of the Wellcome Library.

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