agricultural site. In the Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.)
therulers developed the region and made it a major agri-
cultural and population center. Olive production was
encouraged as the Greek Ptolemaics deemed the Faiyum
olive the tastiest of all. At various times the territory
extended over 4,000 square miles. PTOLEMY II PHILADEL-
PHUS(r. 285–246 B.C.E.) renamed the nome containing
the Faiyum Arsinoe, after his relative, ARSINOE(2).
KARANIS, located in the Faiyum, was founded by the
Ptolemys and endowed with two limestone temples. A
SOBEKshrine, called Dineh el-Giba or Soknopaiou Neos,
was also erected there. The famed statues of Amenemhet
IIIgraced the area as well. Medinet el-Faiyum is the mod-
ern capital of the region.
Suggested Readings:Doxiadis, Euphrosyne, and Doro-
thy J. Thompson. The Mysterious Faiyum Portraits: Faces
from Ancient Egypt.New York: Harry Abrams, 1995.
false door ATOMBelement dating to the Old Kingdom
(2575–2134 B.C.E.), normally fashioned out of wood or
stone and serving as a monument to the deceased, false
doors appeared early in MASTABASand tombs and were
designed to allow the KAof the deceased to move from
the burial chamber to the chapel or shrine room, where
offerings were made during MORTUARY RITUALS. The false
door was also believed to link the human deceased with
the TUAT, or Underworld. This door was elaborately
designed or was only a simple STELAencased in a wall.
Most were narrow, stepped niches with stone slabs
depicting figures of the deceased or life statues of the
dead, sometimes portrayed as returning from the Tuat in
a resurrected state.
Famine Stela Amonument located on SEHEL ISLAND
south of ASWAN, where dynasties throughout Egypt’s his-
tory left records, the Famine Stela dates to the Ptolemaic
Period (304–30 B.C.E.) but relates a tale about a famine
that took place in the reign of DJOSER(2630–2611 B.C.E.)
of the Third Dynasty. The Nile had not flooded for several
years, and Djoser, informed that the inundations were the
prerogatives of the god KHNUM, erected a temple on ELE-
PHANTINEIsland to appease the deity. He had a dream in
which the god berated him for not taking care of the
sacred on Elephantine Island. When Djoser repaired the
shrine, the Nile resumed its normal inundation levels.
Farafra Oasis A site in a vast depression in the west-
ern desert of Egypt, located south of the BAHARIA OASIS,
Farafra was once called “the Land of the Cow” and has a
modern capital named Qasr el-Farafra. The monuments
from ancient eras are mostly in ruins.
Faras This was a site near ABU SIMBEL, in NUBIA(mod-
ern Sudan), which contained temples and a rock chapel
from the New Kingdom Period (1550–1070 B.C.E.). Also
onthe site is a temple of TUT’ANKHAMUN(r. 1333–1323
B.C.E.) from the Eighteenth Dynasty. This temple had a
stylish portico and HYPOSTYLE HALLS. The shrine origi-
nally measured 81 by 182 feet.Fara’un Mastaba The modern Arabic name given to
the tomb of SHEPSESKHAF(r. 2472–2467 B.C.E.) of the
Fourth Dynasty, the name translates as “Seat of the
Pharaoh.” This mastaba was erected in the southern part
of the necropolis area of SAQQARA.fate Called shoyor shaiby the ancient Egyptians, who
put great stock in the appointed destiny of each individ-
ual, shoywas the good or ill destiny laid down for each
Egyptian at the moment of his or her birth by the divine
beings called the SEVEN HATHORS. If the fate was good, it
was called RENENET, or Renenutet, after the goddess of
generation. In the case of royal princes, the Seven
Hathors always guaranteed a favorable fate. They arrived
at the crib of any prince born on an unlucky day and put
a lucky child in his place to avoid disaster for the individ-
ual and the nation. The CAIRO CALENDARreflects this
belief among the ancient Egyptians.Fatieh el-Beida A site in the Eastern Desert that was
used as a QUARRYin many ages of Egyptian history, the
ruins of the settlement and a temple dating to the Roman
Period (after 30 B.C.E.) were discovered there.Festival of Entering a Temple A unique celebration
associated with the cult of the god RÉ. The deity was
saluted by another god, Ptah-Tenen, during the cere-
monies, while priests chanted hymns and formed proces-
sions. The ritual was formally called the Testimony of
Entering the House of the God, and every divine being
was represented. The festival was reenacted wherever Ré’s
cult flourished and remained popular over the centuries.Festival of the Two Weepers See LAMENTATIONS OF
ISIS AND NEPHTHYS.festivals The celebrations of ancient Egypt were nor-
mally religious in nature and held in conjunction with
the lunar calendar in temples. Some festivals, mortuary or
funerary in nature, were held as well in the royal and pri-
vate tombs. The Egyptians liked visible manifestations of
their beliefs and used festivals to make spiritual concepts
meaningful. Most of the cultic celebrations were part of
the calendar and were based on local temple traditions.
In some periods of Egypt there were as many as 75 such
celebrations observed throughout the nation annually.
Starting in the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.), the
first, sixth, and 15th day of every month were festivals136 false door