Capital of the 2nd Upper Egyptian nome, called Behdet ('place of the throne') in ancient Egyptian. It was an important cult centre for Horus, who was worshipped here as Horus of Behdet, referring to the god seated on his throne after overcoming Seth. The local myths provide a great number of details about the struggle between these two gods about who would succeed Osiris as king of Egypt. Tombs and rock drawings have been found at Edfu dating from the first dynasties. Its most important building, however, is the temple, the best-preserved in all Egypt. It is dedicated to Horus (in his forms of Horus of Behdet, Horus son of Isis, and Re-Harakhty) and to Hathor of Dendera. Ptolemy II began to build the present temple in 237 BC, on top of the remains of a much older sanctuary, parts of which date back to the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom. The project would take 180 years to complete. Near it is a decorated mammisi, built by Ptolemy VIII Euergetes and decorated by Ptolemy IX Soter II. The Greeks equated Horus with their own god Apollo and thus Edfu was called Apollinopolis in the Graeco-Roman Period, with Magna added to differentiate it from other locations also called Apollinopolis.