Artefacts of Excavation

Alternative site names:
Ṣān al-Ḥagar San el-Hagar

Arabic name: صان الحجر

Timeframe:
Temple (3rd Intermediate Period, Late Period-26th Dynasty, Graeco-Roman Period); town (3rd Intermediate Period, Late Period-26th Dynasty, Graeco-Roman Period)

Site description:

Tanis’ extensive urban remains reflect that it was the royal residence for kings of the 21st and 22nd Dynasties and a capital city in the Late Period. A large rectangular mud brick enclosure 430 by 370 metres existed as the principle temple to Amun. Although building material and statuary was from the Old and Middle Kingdoms , it was moved and recycled from archaic sites as was common practice in Delta cities. Other structures include a sed-festival chapel of Shoshenq V, temple of Psammetichus I, a sacred lake, a temple of Khons-Neferhotep, and a precinct dedicated to Mut. Notable are the royal tombs of the 21st and 22nd Dynasties within the temple precinct, which were discovered relatively intact.