Leontopolis, known in Egyptian as Ney-ta-hut, is the Greek name for the site we now call Tell el Yehudiye or Tell el-Yahudiya (Egyptian Arabic: Jewish Mound). This ancient city was strategically located in the 13th nome of Lower Egypt, specifically within the Heliopolite Nome and along the Pelusiac branch of the Nile. It is celebrated for its unique pottery, referred to as Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware.
During the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC), a significant temple, designed after the one in Jerusalem, was established by the exiled Jewish priest Onias IV. This initiative attracted a robust Hebrew colony, drawn by the chance to engage in their national worship. The community flourished as it welcomed refugees escaping the oppressive rule of the Seleucid kings in Judea, thriving for over three centuries.
However, the situation changed dramatically following the outbreak of the Jewish War. In the first century CE, amid widespread opposition to Judaism, the Leontopolite temple was closed, marking a pivotal moment in the city’s history.
