14) through to Trajan (who reigned from A.D. It is an Egyptian temple built and decorated during the Roman occupation under Augustus (who reigned from about 30 B.C. The scene was discovered on the western exterior wall of the Temple of Isis at Shanhur, located on the east bank of the Nile River about 12 miles (20 kilometers) north of Luxor. The hieroglyphs describe Min as 'the one who brings into control the warhorses, whose fear is in the Two Lands.' Min tells Claudius, 'I give you the (southern) foreign lands,' which researchers say could be a reference to the deserts surrounding the Nile River, where minerals could be quarried. In the recently discovered carving, the god Min is shown wearing his own crown and has an erect penis, because Min was a god of fertility, the researchers said.

The Roman Empire took over Egypt in 30 B.C., and while the Roman emperors were not Egyptian, they were still depicted as pharaohs Egyptologists have noted. Egyptian rulers are shown wearing crowns like this relatively late in ancient Egyptian history, mainly after 332 B.C., and they were worn only in Egypt. Three solar discs representing the sun (one for each plant) are shown in front of the rushes. The elaborate crown on Claudius consists of three rushes (plants) set on ram horns with three falcons sitting on top. A cult chapel is a place of worship and a tent could also be used for this purpose. It would have taken place even though Claudius never visited Egypt. Eight men, each wearing two feathers, are shown climbing the supporting poles, with their legs dangling in midair.Įgyptian hieroglyphs in the carving call Claudius the 'Son of Ra, Lord of the Crowns,' and say he is 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Lord of the Two Lands.' The hieroglyphs say he is raising the pole of the tent (or cult chapel) of Min (an ancient Egyptian god of fertility and power) and notes a date indicating a ritual like this took place around the summertime researchers say. 41 to 54, is shown erecting a giant pole with a lunar crescent at the top. In the carving, Emperor Claudius, who reigned from A.D. An ancient stone carving on the walls of an Egyptian temple depicts the Roman emperor Claudius dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh, wearing an elaborate crown, a team of researchers has discovered.