Ancient site · Alexandria
Taposiris Magna
An ancient Ptolemaic town west of Alexandria whose name means "great tomb of Osiris", with a temple tied to the worship of Osiris.
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The story
Ptolemy II Philadelphus founded Taposiris Magna between 280 and 270 BC. Its name means "great tomb of Osiris", which Plutarch linked to an Egyptian temple in the town. It lies about 30 miles west of Alexandria near Borg El Arab. In the Ptolemaic period it became a centre for the religious festival of Khoiak, and French scientists who came with Napoleon surveyed its architecture, published in the Description de l'Egypte. Excavations began in the twentieth century under the Italian Evaristo Breccia, and Callisthenes states that Alexander the Great visited on his way to Siwa Oasis.
Good to know
- The town's name means "great tomb of Osiris".
- It was founded by Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 BC.