On this day, the last known ancient Egyptian inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphs was carved in the Temple of Philae in southern Egypt by a priest named Nesmeterakhem. The carved figure is of the god Mandulis and in the accompanying text Nesmeterakhem expresses the hope that his inscription will last “for all time and eternity”. The temple at Philae was a prominent site of worship for the ancient Egyptian religion, as it was believed to be one of the burial places of the god Osiris. Staffed continually it would seem by members of Nesmeterakhem’s family, the temple was finally closed on the orders of Emperor Justinian I between 535 and 537, marking the end of the last vestige of the ancient Egyptian culture.
