Colossal falcon statue standing in Peristyle court before the entrance to the pronaos of Ptolemy VIII of the Horus temple, Idfū, Egypt

"The site of ancient Djeba (Arabic Edfu) was the traditional location of the mythological battle between the gods Horus and Seth; and its sandstone Ptolemaic temple, dedicated to Horus, is the most complete and best preserved of all the temples in Egypt. It was evidently begun by Ptolemy III in 237 BC and completed 180 years later in 57 BC. The hypostyle hall was completed in 122 BC; and the outermost elements -the peristyle court and the entrance pylons- were finally added in 57BC, in the reign of Ptolemy XII. A pair of monumental black granite statue of Horus as a falcon -wearing the double crown of egyptian kingship- that now sit in front of the pronaos probably belonged to the preceding 30th Dynasty temple." [Wilkinson R., 2000: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.