Greek name for the most important cult centre for the god Thoth (identified with Hermes by the Greeks), situated in the 15th Upper Egyptian nome, on the west bank of the Nile. The ancient Egyptian name for the town was Khmun ('City of the Eight'), a reference to the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, the eight gods who personified the primeval elements from before creation. The modern name of the town, el-Ashmunein, is derived from the ancient Egyptian name. The remains of various temples have been found at Hermopolis, some dating as far back as the Middle Kingdom. The most important was of course dedicated to Thoth. Nearby there are also extensive underground galleries, constructed mainly between the Late Period and Roman times. Thousands of ibis mummies, the bird sacred to Thoth, have been found in them. A large number of talatat were found in the pylon added by Rameses II to the temple of Thoth, originally from El-`Amarna (Akhetaten), the capital of Egypt during the time of Akhenaten, which lies close by. After the latter's death, many of the stone blocks from his temples were reused elsewhere as filling in walls and gateways.