The Virtual Reconstruction of the Sculpted Vestibule of the Sanctuary of Soknebtunis at Tebtunis

Recent archival discoveries both in Italy and Canada are contributing to our knowledge and the database of old unpublished excavations at Tebtunis in the Fayum. In February 1931, Carlo Anti and Gilbert Bagnani discovered the sculpted proastion or vestibule of the Ptolemaic sanctuary of the crocodile god Sobek, or Soknebtunis as he was called locally. Although there were terrestrial photos of the sculpted reliefs covering its walls, the plans of the excavation architect Fausto Franco have only recently been found in the Istituto Veneto. Similarly, Bagnani’s detailed report examining and identifying the reliefs, together with a paper that he presented at a conference at Leiden in September 1931, have recently been discovered among the archives at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada. Combining all this newly available data with computer analysis of the plans and aerial photos and GIS has enabled the virtual reconstruction in 3D of the sculpted vestibule of the sanctuary of the oracular Soknebtunis at Tebtunis.