Esna

Esna, known to the ancient Egyptians as Egyptian: Iunyt or Ta-senet; Coptic (Sahidic): (Sne), which derives from Ta-senet; Greek: (Latopolis or Letopolis) or (Polis Laton) or (Latton); Latin: Lato, is a city in Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the River Nile, some 55 km south of Luxor. The town was formerly part of the modern Qena Governorate, but as of 9/12/2009, has been incorporated into the new Luxor Governorate.LatopolisThis city of Latopolis in the Thebaid region of Upper Egypt should not be confused with the more northerly city of Letopolis, ancient Khem, modern Ausim, in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt.Ancient cityThe name "Latopolis" is in honor of the Nile perch, Lates niloticus, the largest of the 52 species which inhabit the Nile, which was abundant in these stretches of the river in ancient times, and which appears in sculptures, among the symbols of the goddess Neith, associated by the ancient Greeks as Pallas-Athene, surrounded by the oval shield or ring indicative of royalty or divinity. Held sacred, the Lates niloticus was buried in a cemetery west of the town.