Elephantine
Elephantine (/ˌɛlɪfænˈtaɪniː, -ˈtiː-/ EL-if-an-TY-nee, -TEE-; Ancient Egyptian: 𓍋𓃀𓅱𓃰, romanized: ꜣbw; Egyptian Arabic: جزيرة الفنتين; Greek: Ἐλεφαντίνη Elephantíne; Coptic: (Ⲉ)ⲓⲏⲃ (e)iēb, Coptic pronunciation: [jæb]) is an island on the Nile, forming part of the city of Aswan in Upper Egypt. The archaeological digs on the island became a World Heritage Site in 1979, along with other examples of Upper Egyptian architecture, as part of the "Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae" (despite Elephantine being neither Nubian, nor between Abu Simbel and Philae).
Native name: جزيرة فيلة (Ⲉ)ⲓⲏⲃ 𓍋𓃀𓅱𓃰 | |
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West bank of Elephantine Island on the Nile | |
Elephantine Location in the Nile at Aswan, Upper Egypt | |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | 24.09°N 32.89°E |
| Adjacent to | Nile |
| Length | 1,200 m (3900 ft) |
| Width | 400 m (1300 ft) |
| Administration | |
Egypt | |
| 3bw 𓍋𓃀𓅱𓃰 "Elephantine" in hieroglyphs | |||||
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The island has been studied through excavation sites. Aramaic papyri and ostraca have been collected to study what life was life on Elephantine during the time of Ancient Egypt. There have been studies about the Elephantine Triad and the Jewish presence that formulated on the island.
The standard reference collection of the Aramaic documents of the Elephantine Papyri and Ostraca is the Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt.