Thmuis (; Greek: ; ar, Tell El-Timai) was a city in

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ar, مصر السفلى '; ) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, ...

, located on the canal east of the Nile, between its

Tanitic The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to ...

and

Mendesian The Nile Delta ( ar, دلتا النيل, or simply , is the delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's largest river deltas—from Alexandria in the west to ...

branches. Its ruins are near the modern city of

Timayy al-Imdid Timay al-Imdid ( ar, تمي الإمديد ', cop, ⲑⲙⲟⲩⲓ ⲡϭⲓⲙⲉⲛⲧⲏϯ ' ''pčhimentēti''), the ancient Thmuis and Mendes, is a city and markaz in Dakahlia Governorate of Egypt. The estimated population of the markaz in 20 ...

History

During the

Ptolemaic Ptolemaic is the adjective formed from the name Ptolemy, and may refer to: Pertaining to the Ptolemaic dynasty * Ptolemaic dynasty, the Macedonian Greek dynasty that ruled Egypt founded in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter * Ptolemaic Kingdom Pertaining ...

period, Thmuis succeeded

Djedet Mendes ( grc-gre, Μένδης, ''gen''.: ), the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ( ar, تل ال ...

as the capital of

's 16th nome of Kha ( Herodotus (II, 166)). The two cities are only several hundred meters apart. Ptolemy also states that the city was the capital of the Mendesian nome. From the Ptolemaic-Roman period are preserved the foundations of a temple. Thmuis was an

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

in the Roman province of Augustamnica Prima, suffragan of

Pelusium Pelusium ( Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, /, romanized: , or , romanized: ; grc, Πηλουσιον, Pēlousion; la, Pēlūsium; Arabic: ; Egyptian Arabic: ) was an important city in the eastern extremes of Egypt's Nile Delta, 30 km to ...

. Today it is part of the

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

Holy Metropolitanate of Beheira (Thmuis & Hermopolis Parva), Mariout (Mariotis), Marsa Matruh (

Antiphrae Marina, also Marina El Alamein ( ar, مارينا العلمين ), ancient ''Leukaspis'' or ''Antiphrae'', is an upscale resort town catering mainly to the Egyptian upper class. It is located on the northern coast of Egypt, with an long b ...

& Paractorium), Libya (Livis) and

Pentapolis A pentapolis (from Greek ''penta-'', 'five' and ''polis'', 'city') is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities. Cities in the ancient world probably formed such groups for political, commercial and military reasons, as happened ...

( Cyrenaica). In the fourth century it was still an important Roman city, having its own administration and being exempt from the jurisdiction of the Prefect of Alexandria. It was in existence at the time of the

Muslim invasion of Egypt The Muslim conquest of Egypt, led by the army of 'Amr ibn al-'As, took place between 639 and 646 AD and was overseen by the Rashidun Caliphate. It ended the seven-century-long period of Roman reign over Egypt that began in 30 BC. Byzantine ru ...

in 642 AD, and was later called Al-Mourad or "Al-Mouradeh"; it must have disappeared after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt. Its ruins are at Tell El-Timai, about five miles north-west of Sinbellawein, a station on the railway from Zagazig to

Mansourah Mansoura (' , rural: ) is a city in Egypt, with a population of 960,423. It is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic means "victorious". The city is named after the El Mansoura Battle against Louis IX of Fr ...

in the central

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also re ...

Bishopric

Le Quien (''Oriens christianus'', II, 537) names nine bishops of Thmuis, the last three being Monophysites of the Middle Ages. The others are: * Ammonius, Bishop of Thmuis, deposed by

Heraclas of Alexandria Pope Heraclas ( grc, Ἡρακλῆς, Theoclas) was the 13th Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, reigning 232–248. Pope Heraclas of Alexandria was born to pagan parents who became Christians and were baptized after his birth. They taught him t ...

(d. 247) Photius, P.G., CIV, 1229. *

Phileas of Thmuis Saints Phileas and Philoromus (died ) were two Egyptian martyrs under the Emperor Diocletian. Phileas was Bishop of Thmuis and Philoromus was a senior imperial officer. Monks of Ramsgate account The monks of St Augustine's Abbey, Ramsgate wrote ...

, d. 306 (in the Martyrology, 4 February), martyr and saint *

Saint Donatus Saints who were named Donatus include: * Saint Donatus of Muenstereifel, 2nd century military martyr and a patron against lightning * Saints Donatus, Romulus, Secundian, and 86 Companions, 3rd century * Saint Donatus of Arezzo, bishop of Arezzo (?- ...

, his successor, martyr * Liberius (not Caius), at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 *

Saint Serapion of Thmuis The ''Sacramentary'' of Serapion of Thmuis is a work of Saint Serapion (fl. ca. 330 to 360, feast day: March 21), bishop of Thmuis (today Tell el-Timai) in the Nile Delta and a prominent supporter of Athanasius in the struggle against Arianism. He ...

, died shortly before 360, the author of various works, in part preserved, a friend of

St. Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

Ptolemæus Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

at the Council of Seleucia (359) *Aristobulus, at the

First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church thr ...

(431).

References

Sources

* *Baines & Malek "Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt", 2000. *M.I. Bakr & H. Brandl, "Various Sites in the Eastern Nile Delta: Thmuis", in: M.I. Bakr and H. Brandl, with F. Kalloniatis (eds.), Egyptian Antiquities from the Eastern Nile Delta. Museums in the Nile Delta, vol. 2. Cairo/Berlin 2014, pp. 79, 294-301. . {{Authority control Ptolemaic colonies Roman sites in Egypt Catholic titular sees in Africa Former populated places in Egypt Nile Delta Tells (archaeology)

History

Bishopric

See also

References

Sources