EDFU, d'foo, Egypt, town situated on the Nile, 54 miles southeast of Thebes. It con tains the remains of two temples, the larger of which is the best preserved monument of its kind in Egypt. It was founded by Ptolemy III Philopator more than two centuries before Christ and added to by his successors down to Ptolemy XIII Dionysus, a period of 170 years. The general plan of the temple re sembles that of Dendera. Its length is 451 feet, the breadth of its facade is 250 feet. Its en trance is by a gateway 50 feet high, between two immense truncated pylons, 37 feet wide at the base and 115 feet lugh, the whole surface covered with sculptures and inscriptions in low relief. This splendid facade is visible from a great distance and is one of the most com manding sights in the Nile valley. Passing through this entrance, a court is reached 161 feet long and 140 feet wide, enclosed by a splendid colonnade of 32 columns of every variety of capital, and surrounded by walls be tween which and the pillars there is a stone roof, forming a covered portico. From this court opens a hypostyle hall of 18 columns, joined by an intercolumnal screen, through which access is obtained to an inner hall of 12 columns, leading to the sanctuary, where a great monolith of gray granite was evidently intended to enrage the hawk, the sacred emblem of Hor-Hud, the local Horus, to whom the temple was dedicated.
The sanctuary and surrounding chambers, together with the outer and inner halls, are sep arated by an open corridor from the outer wall of the temple, and both sides of this passage are covered with elaborate reliefs and numerous inscriptions, which present a sort of encyclo pwdia of ancient Egyptian geography, ritual and ecclesiastical topography, with calendars of feasts, lists of divinities in the various names and cities, and even a species of church direct ory, including the names of singers and other temple officials. The smaller temple, erected by
Ptolemy Physcon and Lathyrus, consists of only two chambers. Previous to 1860, both court and temple were inlaid with rubbish, fallen stone, etc. Nomad Arabs built lean-to sheds against the walls until Marlette, with the consent of the Khedive had all these disfigurements removed and established a semblance of order. Consult Mariette, 'Monuments of Upper Egypt' (Lon don 1877) ; Breasted, Records of Egypt' (Chicago 1907). The manufactures of Edfu at present are blue cotton cloths, and earthenware similar to the ancient Egyptian pottery. Pop. 2,500.
EDGAR ("Tits PEACEABLE'), one of the most distinguished of the Saxon kings of Eng land, was the son of King Edmund. He suc ceeded to the throne in 958, and managed the civil and military affairs of his kingdom with great vigor and success. He maintained a body of troops to control the mutinous Northum brians, and repel the incursions of the Scots, and fitted out a powerful navy to protect his subjects from the Danes. During the reign of Edgar, wolves were nearly extirpated from the southern parts of the island, by exchanging a tribute. from Wales for payment in the heads of these animals. He married Elf ri, daughter of the Earl of Devonshire, in 965. It was dur ing his reign that Dunstan (q.v.) was primate of England. He died in 975, and was succeeded by his son, Edward the Martyr.