Lycopolis

Lycopolis, meaning "wolf city" in Greek, is the name given in antiquity to several settlements, most notably one in Upper Egypt. The Egyptian Lycopolis was a city along the Nile that flourished from the Late Period into Roman times and served as a religious and urban center. Its cult was centered on Wepwawet, a jackal-wolf deity associated with funerary rites and the opening of paths to the afterlife; temples and a necropolis attest to its religious importance. The city is referenced in Greek and Roman sources and in inscriptions and monuments from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. Archaeological work has uncovered temple precincts and funerary or administrative remains, shedding light on cross-cultural interactions between local Egyptian traditions and Hellenistic and Roman influence.

The name Lycopolis was also used by Greek geographers for other towns, and in later periods the term appeared in various geographical lists. Consequently, "Lycopolis" can refer to more than one ancient site, though the Egyptian Lycopolis is the best documented and most frequently cited in literary and archaeological sources.