Ancient Crocodilopolis City

Location	Google map and photos 29.31N - 30.85E Upper Egypt - southwest of Memphis West bank of the Nile
Nome	AAtef-Pehu - the 21st Nome of Upper Egypt
Type of Settlement	Religious center
Local deity	The crocodile god Sobek
Necropolis	Meidum Pyramid from the 4th Dynasty Kahun Hawara
Ancient name	Egyptian - Shedyet Greek - Arsinoe (after the wife of Ptolemy II Philadelphus )
Arabic name	Medinet El-Fayum
Historical Development	The City area is separated from the Nile Valley by a thin ridge and contains the large Lake Moeris, around which the life in the area has always rotated. Middle Kingdom - Crocodilopolis first gained prominence after draining of the Fayum oasis swamp, creating a new, fertile province. The level of the lake was artificially regulated, and large monuments were built around its shore. In the 12th Dynasty the city became the capital of Egypt. Late Kingdom - The nearby town of Dionysius flourished (today called Qasr Karun) Ptolemaic Period - Ptolemy II Philadelphus extended the town, building Greek temples and schools, and turned it into a Hellenic city, of which he made his wife Arsinoe the protective goddess Thereafter the district became known as the Arsinoite Nome and the capital as Arsinoe. Greek Arsinoe had a population of more than 100,000. The level of the lake was lower than in the past but still higher than today
Monuments	Very few remains of antiquity, except a few sculptured blocks, have been found A great stone obelisk erected by Senusret I during the 12th Dynasty