Archeologists have unearthed a 2000 year old temple that may have been dedicated to the ancient cat goddess, Bastet, the Supreme Council of Antiquities said Tuesday. The ruins of the Ptolemaic-era temple were discovered by Egyptian archeologists in the heart of the Mediterranian port city of Alexandria founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.
The city was the seat of the Greek speaking Ptolemaic Dynasty which ruled over Egypt for 300 years until the suicide of Queen Cleopatra.
The statement said the temple was thought to belong to Queen Berenice, wife of King Ptolemy III who ruled Egypt in the 3rd century BC.
Mohammad Abdel-Maqsood, the Egyptian archeologist who led the excavation team said the discovery may be the first trace of the long sought location of Alexandria's royal quarter.
The large number of statues depicting Bastet found in the ruins suggested that this may be the first Ptolemaic era temple dedicated to the cat goddess to be discovered in Alexandria.
This would indicate that worship of the ancient Egyptian cat goddess continued during the later Greek influenced Ptolemaic period.
The temple was found in the Kom el-Dekkah neighborhood near the city's main train station and home to a Roman era amphitheater and well preserved mosaics.
