Leontopolis (Egyptian: Ney-ta-hut) is the Greek name for the modern site of Tell el Yehudiye or Tell el-Yahudiya (Egyptian Arabic: Jewish Mound). This ancient city was located in Lower Egypt's 13th nome, along the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, and is known for its distinctive pottery, Tell el-Yahudiyeh Ware.
In the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–145 BC), the exiled Jewish priest Onias IV founded a temple modeled after Jerusalem’s. The Hebrew colony that formed there thrived for over three centuries, attracting many refugees from Judea. However, the temple was closed in the first century CE due to a backlash against Judaism following the outbreak of the Jewish War.
