Kolanthes

Kolanthes or Kolanthes the Child (Koinē Greek: Κολάνθης, Ancient Egyptian: 𓈎𓄓𓍑𓄿𓏤𓀔 ) is a child deity from the late period of ancient Egyptian religion. He has been documented since the second century BC in the circle of the gods of Akhmim (Koine Panopolis) in the 9th Upper Egyptian Nome (Egypt).

Relief of Kolanthes from the Temple of Athribis

Divine Family

Kolanthes was son within the patron trinity of Akhmim. The god Min (god) acted in the father role while his mother was either Aperetiset or, in the Temple of Athribis, Repyt (Greek Triphis).

Kolanthes was identified with Horus, the divine child and the Pharaoh, and he was called "the child of Osiris and Isis.

Cultic sites and written evidence

The cult sites of Kolanthes are located north and south of Akhmim. In the quarries of Gabal El Haridi and Ptolemais Hermiou (Arabic: al-Mansha), Demotic (Egyptian)rock inscriptions mentioning Kolanthes have been found. Other sources include a stele inscribed with hieroglyphs from the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the recently discovered extensive inscriptions from the temple of Athribis, and Greek inscriptions.

Name

The hieroglyphic and demotic spellings of the name “Kolanthes” are very inconsistent. It can be assumed that the god is not of Egyptian origin.

In the Greek inscriptions the name is written Κολάνθης, Κολάνθας or Κολάνθος. The demotic spelling can be translated as QrnDA according to the Manuel de Codage.

In the inscriptions of the Temple of Athribis there are different hieroglyphic writings in the different scenes.

Full spellings

Szene C 2, 31 ^2b:

Szenen C 1, 70²; C 1, 74³; C 3, 15²; C 3, 17²:

Szenen C 3, 16²; C 5, 57²; C 5, 67²:

Abbreviated Spellings

Szenen C 1, 41¹; C 1, 51¹; C 5, 5²

Abbreviated versions of "Kolanthes the Child"

Literature

• Hans Bonnet: Reallexikon der ägyptischen Religionsgeschichte. de Gruyter, Berlin 1952, 3. unveränderte Auflage, Reprint, De Gruyter, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-11-082790-3, S. 379.
• Jan Quaegebeur: Kolanthes. In: Wolfgang Helck (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Ägyptologie (LÄ). Band III, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1980, ISBN 3-447-02100-4, Sp. 671–672.
• Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen. Band 8: Register (= Orientalia Lovaniensia analecta. Band 129). Peeters, Leuven 2003, ISBN 90-429-1376-2, S. 684 (eingeschränkte Onlineversion).
• Rafed El-Sayed, Yahya El-Masry (Hrsg.): Athribis I. General Site Survey 2003–2007. Archaeological & Conservation Studies. The Gate of Ptolemy IX. Architecture and Inscriptions (= Publications de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale du Caire. Band 1010). Imprimerie de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Kairo 2012, ISBN 978-2-7247-0529-4.
• Christian Leitz, Daniela Mendel, Yahya El-Masry: Athribis II. Der Tempel Ptolemaios' XII.: Die Inschriften und Reliefs der Opfersäle, des Umgangs und der Sanktuarräume 3 Bände (= Publications de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale du Caire. Band 1016). Imprimerie de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Kairo 2010, ISBN 978-2-7247-0539-3.
• Christian Leitz, Daniela Mendel: Athribis III. Die östlichen Zugangsräume und Seitenkapellen sowie die Treppe zum Dach und die rückwärtigen Räume des Tempels Ptolemaios XII. 2 Bände, Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Kairo 2017.
• Christian Leitz, Daniela Mendel: Athribis IV. Der Umgang L 1 bis L 3. 2 Bände, Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Kairo 2017.