Hypselis or Hypsela ( grc, Ύψηλή; cop, ϣⲱⲧⲡ), known to the
ancient Egyptians as Shashotep, is an ancient Egyptian city and
Roman bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
, which was located near the modern town of Shutb (or ash-Shatb, Chutb) in the
Asyut Governorate
AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut'' ( ar, أسيوط ' , from ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at ...
.
History
Antiquity
''Shashotep'' is first mentioned in texts dating back to the
First Intermediate Period
The First Intermediate Period, described as a 'dark period' in ancient Egyptian history, spanned approximately 125 years, c. 2181–2055 BC, after the end of the Old Kingdom. It comprises the Seventh (although this is mostly considered spuriou ...
. During the subsequent
Middle Kingdom it was the main town of the
11th Upper Egyptian nome.
The main deity of ancient Shashotep was
Khnum
Khnum or also romanised Khnemu (; egy, 𓎸𓅱𓀭 ẖnmw, grc-koi, Χνοῦβις) was one of the earliest-known Egyptian deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile. Since the annual flooding of the Nile brought with it silt ...
, who was sometimes called "Lord of Shashotep".
The cemeteries near the modern place
Rifeh
Rifeh or Deir Rifeh (also known as Rifa) is a village in Egypt. The name refers today most often to a series of ancient Egyptian cemeteries nearby. These are the burial grounds of the ancient town Shashotep. The cemeteries date from the end of th ...
, once belonged to the town.
[ Later, the city became known by the Greeks as ''Hypselis''.][
]
Titular see
During Roman time
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient Rome:
Ancient Rome – former civilization that thrived on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and cent ...
, and before fading into the desert, the city became one of the suffragan sees of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Antinoë, capital of the province of Thebais Prima. The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Titular bishopric
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...
by the names of ''Hypselis'' / ''Ipseli''. It is vacant since 1997, following the death of its last bishop, Jesús Serrano Pastor.GCatholic
/ref>
See also
*
* List of Catholic dioceses in Egypt
* Apollonopolis Parva (Hypselis)
References
Catholic titular sees in Africa
Cities in ancient Egypt
Former populated places in Egypt
Suppressed Roman Catholic dioceses
{{AncientEgypt-stub