Syene

E81995

ancient city settlement

Syene is the ancient Egyptian city located at the first cataract of the Nile, known today as Aswan and historically important as a frontier town and trade hub.

Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	ancient city → settlement →
ancientNameInEgyptian	Swenet →
ancientNameInGreek	Syene →
ancientNameInLatin	Syene →
archaeologicalStatus	partly built over by modern Aswan →
associatedWith	Aswan granite quarries → Elephantine Island →
borderWith	Nubia →
climate	hot desert climate →
country	Ancient Egypt →
economicActivity	granite quarrying → river transport → trade →
function	administrative center → garrison town →
knownAs	Aswan → Swenet →
locatedAt	First Cataract of the Nile →
locatedIn	Upper Egypt →
locatedOnRiver	Nile →
modernCountry	Egypt →
modernLocation	Aswan →
near	Elephantine → Philae →
notableFor	observation of sun at zenith at summer solstice → very low annual rainfall →
presentDayPartOf	city of Aswan →
region	Nubia (border region) →
religiousSignificance	local cults associated with Nile and cataract → proximity to temples at Philae →
role	customs station → frontier town → military outpost → trade hub →
significance	important for control of Nile traffic → key point on trade routes to Africa → southern frontier of Ancient Egypt →
strategicImportance	control of access between Egypt and inner Africa →
timePeriod	Hellenistic period → Late Antiquity → Pharaonic period → Roman period →
underRuleOf	Arab Caliphates → Byzantine Empire → Pharaonic Egypt → Ptolemaic Kingdom → Roman Empire →
usedBy	Greek geographer Eratosthenes →
usedFor	measurement of Earth’s circumference by Eratosthenes →

Referenced by (6)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Syene →	ancientNameInGreek
Syene →	ancientNameInLatin
Aswan →	formerName
Swenett →	hasAlternativeName
Swenett →	hasNameInGreek
Swenett →	hasNameInLatin