المستخلص: |
The dromos of Thoth (Hermes) at Hermopolis Magna was the backbone of the ancient city, where it ran from east to west and had the majority of the city's institutions and buildings running on its sides. This paper aims to highlight the historical and archaeological importance of the dromos through analyzing the settlement layout and planning and the major public places built along it and used for different types of activities such as healing, dream interpretation, religious celebrations, governmental declarations, and commercial activities. The archaeological remains built alongside the dromos confirm its crucial role in the city‟s life. Archaeological records and textual evidence allude to the remains of the Gate of the Sun on the eastern side of the dromos, passing through the exedra, the Komsterion near the chapel of the royal cult, the remains of the Tertrastyla, the Bank of Athena, and finally one comes to the Gate of the Moon on the west side of the dromos. Based on archeological and papyrological evidence of Hermopolis Magna, and contrary to previous studies which located the dromos on the north-south axis of the city, this study argues that the dromos ran from the east to the west of Hermopolis Magna
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