(CE:2200a-2200b)
TALMIS, an important Roman fortress and caravansary in Lower Nubia, and the site of a major temple of Augustus. Its location corresponded approximately to that of the modern Nubian village of Kalabsha, about 40 miles (60 km) south of Aswan. After the Roman withdrawal from Nubia, Talmis remained an important commercial and religious center in the time of the BALLANA KINGDOM. With the coming of Christianity the temple of Augustus was converted into a church, and in the eighth century the place became an episcopal seat, replacing the earlier episcopate of TAFA. However, in the later Middle Ages, Talmis seems to have lost most of its importance, to judge by the archaeological remains that have been found there. In the twelfth century ABU SALIH THE ARMENIAN mentioned "Darmus" (Talmis) as the site of an "elegantly proportioned church" but not as an episcopal see. There is no mention of Darmus or Talmis in any other medieval Arabic document.
[See also: Nubian Church Organization.]
WILLIAM Y. ADAMS
