OM'BOS (Gk. "012,301. (Maki). An ancient Egyptian town on the eastern hank of the Nile in latitude 24° 28' N., about ten miles south of the Jebel Silsileh. The site. which has long been uninhabited, hears the modern Arabic name f KTUin Onib5, 'the hill of (bubo.' The top of the lull forms a broad plateau upon which are the ruins of the town and of its fine temple buildings. in spite of its excellent strategic position upon an elevation commanding both the river and the route to Nubia, ()mhos seems to have been a town of no special importance in the earlier period of Egyptian history. Under the Ptolemies, how ever, it advanced rapidly, was made the capital of the newly formed now of Oinhites. and con tinued to flourish down to a late period under the Boman Empire. The temple buildings, which date from the Ptolemaic period, formerly stood within an inelosnre surrounded by a brick wall. Traees of this wall and a portion of the pylon forming the entrance to the inelosure yet remain. The court of the great temple. dedicated to the eroeodile god Sobk and to Ilaroeris, was former ly eolonnaded on three sides. and, at its tipper end, several doors give entrance to a hypostyle hall opening by two doors into a smaller hall.
from which three successive antechambers lead to the two sanctuaries. The latter are placed side by side, that of Sohk on the right and that of Haroeris on the left. Adjoining the ante chambers and sanctuaries are a number of small er chambers and corridors. A long corridor, starting from the upper end of the hypostyle hall, surrounds the inner portion of the temple. and outside of this a similar corridor runs parallel to it between the outer and the inner walls of the edifice. The reliefs adorning the walls and columns of the temple are inscribed with the names of Ptolemaic kings and Roman emperors. In front of the great temple stands the ruined birth-lumse built by Ptolemy Eller getes II.; to the right is a small temple dedi cated to the goddess llathor by the Emperor Douiitian. Consult: Description. de I'Eqypte (Paris, 1820-30) ; Diimichen, Geschiehte des allot Acyyptens (Berlin, 187S) Mariette, Mono melds of Upper Egypt (London, 1877) ; Dc Mor gan, Korn Onibo (Vienna. 1894).