The earliest archaeological origins are at the South Temple and can be traced to the 1st century BC.[3] It is from this point that the town expanded north when Augustus, having conquered Egypt and also recognizing the Fayum’s agricultural potential, sent workers to clean up the canals and restore the dikes that had fallen into decline, restoring productivity to the area.[4] A Roman-style temple was then built on top of the foundations of the old temple at the beginning of the 1st century AD.