View source for Leontopolis

{{Short description|Archaeological site in Egypt}}
{{about|the large ancient city in Lower Egypt|the city near the Egyptian Heliopolis|Leontopolis (Heliopolis)|other uses|Leontopolis (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name =  Leontopolis
| native_name = 
| alternate_name = 
| image = Terzo periodo intermedio, fine XXII-inizio XV dinastia, rilievo di re iuput II, 754-715 ac ca. 02.JPG
| alt = 
| caption = [[Iuput II]] ruled over Leontopolis from 754 to 720/715 BCE
| map_type = Egypt
| coordinates = {{Coord|30|41|N|31|21|E|type:city|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Damietta Governorate]], [[Egypt]]
| region = 
| type = 
| epochs = 
}}
'''Leontopolis''' was an [[ancient Egypt]]ian city located in the [[Nile Delta]], [[Lower Egypt]]. It served as a provincial capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric. The archaeological site and settlement are known today as '''Kafr Al Muqdam'''.

==Name==
Known most popularly in the modern era and to scholarship by its traditional [[Greek language|Greek]] name '''Leontopolis''' {{lang|grc|Λεόντων πόλις}}<ref>[[Ptolemy|Ptol.]] iv. 5. § 51, [[Strabo]] xvii. pp. 802, 812</ref> (literally, "city of lions"), or '''Leonto''' {{lang|grc|Λεοντώ}}, ("lion"),<ref>Hieronym. ''ad Jovian.'' ii. 6</ref> the demographic makeup of the city varied culturally and linguistically over its long history, and the Greek name was progressively used more and more over the native [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] '''Taremu '''("Land of Fish").<ref>GDG VI, 26; LÄ VI, 351</ref> After the annexation of [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemaic Egypt]] as a [[Roman Egypt|Roman province]], the city retained the Greek name, and was referred to in [[Latin]] sources as the [[oppidum]] '''Leontos''',<ref>[[Pliny the Elder|Plin.]] v. 20. s. 17</ref> though the Egyptian name still lingered among primary speakers of [[Coptic language|Coptic Egyptian]] into the [[post-classical history|post-classical period]]. Today, the site itself is referred to in [[Arabic]] as '''Tell el-Muqdam''' ("mound of the city").

==History==
The city is located in the central part of the [[Nile Delta]] region. It was the capital of the 11th [[nome (Egypt)|nome]] of [[Lower Egypt]] (the [[Ka-heseb|Leontopolite nome]]) and was probably the centre of [[pharaoh|pharaonic]] power under the [[twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt|23rd dynasty]].  In his conquest-stela found at the fourth Nile Cataract at [[Jebel Barkal]], [[Piye]] writes about his conquest over [[Iuput II]], who ruled over Leontopolis.<ref>TUAT 1, 1985, 557ff.</ref> [[Strabo]] is the earliest writer who mentions either the nome,<ref>Strabo XVII, 1,19, 20</ref> or its chief town: and it was probably of comparatively recent origin or importance.

The Greek name of this city means "City of Lions", given on account of the presence of temples to the lioness goddesses [[Bast (goddess)|Bast]] and [[Sekhmet]], and their son, [[Maahes]], the lion prince. Live lions were kept at the temples during the time of the Greek occupation.

It became the capital of the [[Roman province]] of [[Augustamnica Secunda]].

==Ecclesiastical history==
As provincial capital it also was a Metropolitan archbishopric, known as '''Leontopolis in Augustamnica''', which was to fade.
* [[Michel Le Quien]] lists Theodotus at the second Council of Constantinople in 553AD.<ref> Le Quien (Oriens Christianus, II, 553)</ref> 
and 
*[[Metrodorus of Leontopolis]] signed the cannon of the [[Council of Ephesus]].

===Catholic Titular see===
The diocese was restored nominally in the 18th century, as [[titular bishopric]], erroneously called '''Leontopolis in Bithynia''', and as such had the following incumbents of fitting episcopal (lowest) rank :
* Elias Daniel von Sommerfeld (1714.01.26 – 1742.07.26)
* Joaquim de Nossa Senhora de Nazareth Oliveira e Abreu, [[Friars Minor]] (O.F.M.) (1815.09.04 – 1819.08.23)
* Alexander Dobrzański (1819.12.17 – 1831?)
* Ludwig Forwerk (1854.07.11 – 1875.01.08)

It was promoted circa 1880 to [[titular archbishopric]] of Metropolitan rank; it was renamed in 1925 '''Leontopolis''', in 1933 '''Leontopolis in Augustamnica'''.<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d2l45.html  Leontopolis in Augustamnica], Catholic Hierarchy.org.</ref> It has had the following incumbents, of fitting (Metropolitan? archiepiscopal) rank :
* [[Jean-Pierre-François Laforce-Langevin]] (1891.02.06 – 1892.01.26)
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint-Denis de La Réunion#Ordinaries|Dominique-Clément-Marie Soulé]] (1893.03.21 – 1919.04.21)
* [[Andrea Cassulo]] (1921.01.24 – 1952.01.09)
* [[Terence McGuire]] (1953.11.16 – 1957.07.04)
* [[Bishop of Patti#Scince 1800|Angelo Ficarra]] (1957.08.02 – 1959.06.01)<ref>Revue des Ordinations Épiscopales, Issue 1936, Number 84</ref>
* [[Cornelius Bronsveld]],<ref>Revue des Ordinations Épiscopales, Issue 1950, Number 61.</ref> [[White Fathers]] (M. Afr.) (1959.12.21 – 1970.11.30)

===Greek Orthodox Titular See===
*Dionysios (Hatzivasiliou) 1997-2012
*Gabriel of Leontopolis 2012 - Present

==Identification==
Most scholars today agree that Leontopolis is located at Tell al Muqdam, at latitude 30° 45′ North.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}

Researchers were long divided as to the real site of Leontopolis. According to [[D'Anville]] (1697–1782), its ruins were covered by a [[tell (archaeology)|mound]] called ''Tel-Essabè'' (Tel es-sab`), or the "Lion's Hill".<ref>Comp. [[Champollion]], ''l'Egypte'', vol. ii. p. 110, seq</ref> [[Jomard]] (1777–1862), on the other hand, maintained that some [[tumuli]]{{dubious|Probably just tells, not specifically tumuli, as a tumulus is a tomb by definition.|date=November 2009}} near the village of ''El-Mengaleh'' in the Delta, represent the ancient Leontopolis, and this supposition agrees better with the account of the town given by [[Xenophon of Ephesus]].<ref>''Ephesiaca'', iv. p. 280, ed. Bipont</ref> [[William Smith (lexicographer)|W. Smith]] (1813–1893) locates the city at latitude 30° 6′ North, which is considerably further south than the actual site.

==See also==
* [[List of ancient Egyptian towns and cities]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources and external links==
* {{SmithDGRG}}
;Printed sources
* [[Richard Talbert]], [[Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World]], ({{ISBN|0-691-03169-X}}), p.&nbsp;74.
* Hans Bonnet: ''Leontopolis (2.)'', in: ''Lexikon der ägyptischen Religionsgeschichte'', Hamburg 2000 {{ISBN|3-937872-08-6}} S. 423.
* W. M. Flinders Petrie: ''Hyksos and Israelite Cities'', London 1906.
* Max Küchler: ''Leontopolis'' in: ''Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Handwörterbuch für Theologie und Religionswissenschaft.'' (RGG) 4. Auflage, Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen 2002, S. 274.

;External links
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=206&letter=L Leontopolis] article at JewishEncyclopedia.com
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t1004.htm GCatholic with titular incumbent bio links]
* {{CathEncy|wstitle=Leontopolis}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Egyptian capitals|Capital of Egypt]]|before=[[Bubastis]]|after=[[Sais]]|years=818 - 715 BC}}
{{s-end}}


[[Category:Populated places established in the 1st millennium BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 1st millennium]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Cities in ancient Egypt]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Africa]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Egypt]]
[[Category:Jewish Ptolemaic history]]
[[Category:Nile Delta]]
[[Category:Roman sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]
[[Category:Former capitals of Egypt]]
[[Category:Bastet]]
[[Category:Sekhmet]]