Shedet

Shedet, also known in antiquity as Crocodilopolis, was an ancient Egyptian city in the Fayum Oasis that served as the principal cult center for Sobek, the crocodile god. The city’s religious character rotated around temple precincts where sacred crocodiles were venerated, mummified, and displayed as part of Sobek’s cult.

Name and location: In Egyptian records the site is referred to as Shedet; Greek and Latin authors later used the name Crocodilopolis. The city was situated in the Fayum region, to the southwest of the Nile Delta, and its influence extended over the surrounding areas associated with the Fayum’s Nile-fed lakes and marshes.

Religious and cultural role: The Sobek cult dominated civic life, with a major temple complex and rituals focused on crocodile cults. The city also functioned as an administrative and economic hub for the surrounding oases, with offerings, statues, and inscriptions linked to Sobek and to Nile fertility and protection.

History and archaeology: Shedet appears in records from the Late Period through the Hellenistic and Roman eras. It was renamed Crocodilopolis by Greek-speaking rulers, a designation that persisted in classical geography. Excavations at the site have revealed temple foundations, inscriptions, and evidence of crocodile mummies, illustrating the integration of religion, governance, and commerce in the region. The city declined in late antiquity as institu­tions waned and the site was gradually abandoned.

Modern significance: The ruins provide crucial evidence of Sobek worship and the broader Egyptian practice of integrating religious belief with regional identity, economy, and urban planning in ancient Egypt.