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formed a type of Isis Quadrifrons. The decoration of Isis and Horudja first appear under the rule of
Tiberius (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel 2012, 1-4).
During the Roman period in Thebes, only smaller temples and relatively modest additions to
already existing temples were built, even though Thebes had been a dominant religious center in
earlier times (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel 2012, 4).
The Koptite region however got a lot of attention in the Roman period. The quarries in the eastern
desert were heavily exploited and supported by a major road system. Koptos was an important
location for trade as popular caravan routes to the red sea ports ran through it. This interest is
reflected in the Roman additions and decorations to already existing and new temples, and other
structures, in that area. The temple of Shenhur is an example of such a new structure (de Meyer
and Minas-Nerpel 2012, 4).
Fig. 39 Ground-plan temple of Shenhur (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel 2012, 2)
Orientation
The temple of Shenhur faces south. Most Egyptian temples have an east-west orientation to place
them perpendicular to the Nile. However, because the Nile follows a different orientation in this
place, from east to west instead of south to north, the temple is still largely orientated with its
entrance facing the Nile, as it would be expected for traditional Egyptian temples (de Meyer and
Minas-Nerpel 2012, 4; Clarysse 2010, 275).