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Attribution: Rawlinson – History of Herodotus, a new English version, vol. 2 (London: Murray 1858); public domain in Canada (death years verified: G. Rawlinson d.1902 (https://archive.org/metadata/historyofherodot02herouoft LC heading 1812-1902; https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1355998); co-authors H. C. Rawlinson d.1895 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309602), J. G. Wilkinson d.1875 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q923032) — staged at corpus/incoming/histories/historians/herodotus-histories-ii/historyofherodot02herouoft.pdf from https://archive.org/details/historyofherodot02herouoft (HIST-1, 2026-09-29)); OCR text by the Kemetic project, Yousef Hanna 2026.
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The text — part 3 of 6
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| p. 236 | |
| 16334 | 226 |
| 16335 | AGE OF HERCULES, BACCHUS, AND PAN. Book 11. |
| 16336 | before the rest. Hercules is one of the gods of the |
| 16337 | second order, who are known as " the twelve ; " and |
| 16338 | Bacchus belongs to the gods of the third order, whom |
| 16339 | the twelve produced. I have already mentioned how |
| 16340 | many years intervened according to the Egyptians |
| 16341 | between the birth of Hercules and the reign of Amasis.* |
| 16342 | From Pan to this period they count a still longer time ; |
| 16343 | and even from Bacchus, who is the youngest of the |
| 16344 | three, they reckon fifteen thousand years to the reign |
| 16345 | of that king. In these matters they say they cannot |
| 16346 | be mistaken, as they have always kept count of the |
| 16347 | years, and noted them in their registers. But from the |
| 16348 | present day to the time of Bacchus, the reputed son of |
| 16349 | Semele, daughter of Cadmus, is a period of not more |
| 16350 | than sixteen hundred years ; to that of Hercules, son of |
| 16351 | Alcmena, is about nine hundred ; while to the time of |
| 16352 | Pan, son of Penelope (Pan, according to the Grreeks, was |
| 16353 | her child by Mercury), is a shorter space than to the |
| 16354 | Trojan war,^ eight hundred years or thereabouts. |
| 16355 | 146. It is open to all to receive whichever he may |
| 16356 | prefer of these two traditions ; my own opinion about |
| 16357 | them has been already declared. If indeed these gods |
| 16358 | had been publicly known, and had grown old in Greece, |
| 16359 | as was the case with Hercules, son of Amphitryon, Bac- |
| 16360 | chus, son of Semele, and Pan, son of Penelope, it might |
| 16361 | have been said that the last-mentioned personages were |
| 16362 | men who bore the names of certain previously existing |
| 16363 | deities. But Bacchus, according to the Glreek tradition, |
| 16364 | ■* Supra, chi 43. |
| 16365 | •"* The dates for the Trojan war vary |
| 16366 | almost two centuries. Duris placed it |
| 16367 | as early as b.c. 1335 (Clem. Alex. |
| 16368 | Stromat. i. p. 337, A.). Clemens in |
| 16369 | B.C. 1 149. Isocrates, Ephorus, Demo- |
| 16370 | critus, and Phanias, seem to have |
| 16371 | inclined to the later, Herodotus, Thu- |
| 16372 | cydides, the author of the Life of |
| 16373 | Homer, and the compiler of the Pa- |
| 16374 | rian Marble, to the earlier period. |
| 16375 | The date now usually received, B.C. |
| 16376 | 1183, is that of Eratosthenes, whose |
| 16377 | chronology was purely artificial, and |
| 16378 | rested on no solid basis. The follow- |
| 16379 | ing is a list of the principal views on |
| 16380 | this subject ; — |
| 16381 | B.C. |
| 16382 | Duris placed the fall of Troy in .. 1335 |
| 16383 | Author of the Life of Homer . . 1270 |
| 16384 | Herodotus 12C0 + |
| 16385 | Thucj'dides 1260 + |
| 16386 | Parian Marble 1209 |
| 16387 | Eratosthenes 1183 |
| 16388 | Sosibius 1171 |
| 16389 | Ephorus 1169 |
| 16390 | Clemens 1U9 |
| p. 237 | |
| 16391 | Chap. 140. |
| 16392 | EGYPTIAN AND GREEK ACCOUNTS. |
| 16393 | 227 |
| 16394 | was no sooner born than he was sewn up in Jupiter's |
| 16395 | thigh, and carried off to Nysa,*^ above Egypt, in Ethi- |
| 16396 | opia ; and as to Pan, they do not even profess to know |
| 16397 | what happened to him after his birth. To me, there- |
| 16398 | fore, it is quite manifest that the names of these gods |
| 16399 | became known to the Grreeks after those of their other |
| 16400 | deities, and that they count their birth from the time |
| 16401 | when they first acquired a knowledge of them. Thus |
| 16402 | far my narrative rests on the accounts given by the |
| 16403 | Egyptians. |
| 16404 | ^ The story of Bacchus being taken |
| 16405 | to Nj^sa in Ethiopia is explained by |
| 16406 | the identitjr of Osiris and that God. |
| 16407 | Nysa looks like n-isi (for ei-ii-isi), |
| 16408 | Iseum ; but there were several cities, |
| 16409 | caves, and hills of this name, and |
| 16410 | some in Greece. Those of Arabia |
| 16411 | (Diodor. i. 15 ; iii. 63) and India |
| 16412 | (Arrian. Ind. c". v. ■ Q. Curt. viii. 10) |
| 16413 | Avere most noted. Diodorus (iii. 63) |
| 16414 | says Bacchus was nursed at Nj^sa, an |
| 16415 | island of the river Triton in Libya ; |
| 16416 | and the Theban Bacchus in the Ny- |
| 16417 | sa?an cave between Phoenicia and |
| 16418 | Egypt (iv. 2). He also mentions |
| 16419 | Nysa in Arabia (iii. 63) and the city |
| 16420 | of Nysa in Arabia Felix, near Egypt, |
| 16421 | where Osiris was educated, and who |
| 16422 | from his father Jove and this place |
| 16423 | was called Dionysus (i. 15 ; see Her. |
| 16424 | iii. 97 : Virg. ^n. vi. 805 ; Ovid. |
| 16425 | Met. iv. 13). Diodorus saying (i. 19) |
| 16426 | that Nysa in India was built by Osiris, |
| 16427 | in imitation of that of Egypt, seems to |
| 16428 | give an Egyptian origin to the name. |
| 16429 | Pomp. Mela (iii. 7), speaking of India, |
| 16430 | says " of the cities, which are nume- |
| 16431 | rous, Nysa is the largest and most |
| 16432 | celebrated ;" and mentions Mount |
| 16433 | Meros sacred to Jove. Philostratus |
| 16434 | (Vit. ApoU. Tyan. ii. 1) speaks of |
| 16435 | '' the Indians calling Bacchus Nyseus, |
| 16436 | from a place in their country, called |
| 16437 | Nysa ;" and (ii. 4) of a " hill near |
| 16438 | Nysa called Meros (thigh), where |
| 16439 | Bacchus was born," and of " the hill |
| 16440 | Nysa," Hesychius says " Nysa and |
| 16441 | the Nysivan Mount are not in one |
| 16442 | place alone, but in Arabia, Ethiopia, |
| 16443 | Egypt, Babylon, Erythea, Thrace |
| 16444 | Thessaly, Cilicia, India, Libya, Lydia, |
| 16445 | Macedonia, Naxus, and about the |
| 16446 | Pangeum, a place in Syria ;" to which |
| 16447 | may be added Eubcea, Phajacia (Schol. |
| 16448 | Apollon. Ehod. iv. 540, 983), and |
| 16449 | Phrygia, near the river Sangarius. |
| 16450 | (Eustath. in Dionys. Perieg. 940. See |
| 16451 | also Schol. Horn. II. vi. 133 ; II. ii. |
| 16452 | 508 ; Eurip. Bacch. 556 ; Soph. |
| 16453 | Autig. 1131 ; Strabo, xv. 687, 701 ; |
| 16454 | Dion. Perieg. 626, 940, 1159 ; Schol. |
| 16455 | ApoU. Ehod. ii. 904, 1211.) Pliny |
| 16456 | (vi. 21) says, " Nysam urbem plerique |
| 16457 | Indiae adscribunt, montemque Merum |
| 16458 | Libero patri sacrum, unde origo fabulaj |
| 16459 | Jovis femine (/x?;p&)) editum." Plin. |
| 16460 | V. 18 says " Scythopolis was formerly |
| 16461 | Nysa ;" and Juvenal mentions Nysa |
| 16462 | on Mt. Parnassus (vii. 63). The |
| 16463 | Hindoos have also a sacred mountain |
| 16464 | called Meru. The custom of having |
| 16465 | " holy hills " was of very early date, |
| 16466 | and common to the Egyptians, Jews, |
| 16467 | G leeks, and many people. Gebel Berkel |
| 16468 | in Ethiopia is always called " the holy |
| 16469 | hill " on the monuments there (see n. ' , |
| 16470 | on ch. 29). Part of Mount Sinai was so |
| 16471 | considered by the early Pharaohs, and |
| 16472 | by the Jews, Christians, and Moslems |
| 16473 | to this day ; and pilgrimages to it will |
| 16474 | readily account for those inscri]:)tions |
| 16475 | called Sina'itic, which are evidently |
| 16476 | not Jewish, but of a sea-faring people |
| 16477 | of that coast, since they have left |
| 16478 | similar records in the same language |
| 16479 | at the watering-places on the Egyp- |
| 16480 | tian side of the Red Sea as far S. as |
| 16481 | lat. 290 and 27° 50', where the Is- |
| 16482 | raelites could never have been (see |
| 16483 | App. CH. V. § .30).— [G. W.J |
| 16484 | Q 2 |
| p. 238 | |
| 16485 | 228 |
| 16486 | THE TWELVE KINGS. |
| 16487 | Book II. |
| 16488 | 147. In what follows I have the authority, not of |
| 16489 | the Egyptians only, but of others also who agree with |
| 16490 | them. I shall speak likewise in part from my own |
| 16491 | observation. "When the Egyptians regained their |
| 16492 | liberty after the reign of the priest of Yulcan, unable |
| 16493 | to continue any while without a king, they divided |
| 16494 | Egypt into twelve districts, and set twelve kings ^ over |
| 16495 | them. These twelve kings, united together by inter- |
| 16496 | marriages, ruled Egypt in peace, having entered into |
| 16497 | engagements with one another not to depose any of |
| 16498 | their number, nor to aim at any aggrandisement of one |
| 16499 | above the rest, but to dwell together in perfect amity. |
| 16500 | Now the reason why they made these stipulations, and |
| 16501 | guarded with care against their infraction, was, because |
| 16502 | at the very first establishment of the twelve kingdoms, |
| 16503 | an oracle had declared — " That he among them who |
| 16504 | should pour in Vulcan's temple a libation from a cup of |
| 16505 | bronze,^ would become monarch of -the whole land of |
| 16506 | Egypt." Now the twelve held their meetings at all |
| 16507 | the temples. |
| 16508 | 148. To bind themselves yet more closely together, |
| 16509 | it seemed good to them to leave a common monument. |
| 16510 | In pursuance of this resolution they made the Labyrinth |
| 16511 | which lies a little above Lake Moeris," in the neighbour- |
| 16512 | 7 The sarcastic oliservation that as |
| 16513 | they could not exist without a king, |
| 16514 | they elected twelve, must have been |
| 16515 | amusing to the Greeks. They were |
| 16516 | prohalily onlv governors of the twelve |
| 16517 | principal nomes, not of all Egypt but |
| 16518 | of the Delta, tO which Strabo gives ten |
| 16519 | and Ptolemy twenty-four, and which |
| 16520 | in later times contained thirty-five, |
| 16521 | including the Oasis of Ammon. (See |
| 16522 | note'' on ch. 137, and n. ^ ch. 164, of |
| 16523 | the Xomes of Egypt.) Pliny speaks of |
| 16524 | sixteen nomes of all Egypt wlio met |
| 16525 | in the Labyrinth (xxxvi. 13) ; and |
| 16526 | Strabo (xvii. p. 558) states that the |
| 16527 | number of nomes corresponded to that |
| 16528 | of its chambers, when it was first |
| 16529 | built.— rG. W.l |
| 16530 | ^ This should not have been re- |
| 16531 | markable if those cups were so com- |
| 16532 | monly used in Egypt as Herodotus |
| 16533 | says. See note* on ch. 37. — [G. W.] |
| 16534 | ^ The position of the natural lake |
| 16535 | is well known ; but M. Linant has |
| 16536 | discovered that of the artificial Maoris, |
| 16537 | near the site of Crocodilopolis, now |
| 16538 | Medeenet ' el - Fyoom. It has long |
| 16539 | formed part of the cultivated plain of |
| 16540 | the Fyoom, and Pliny's using the |
| 16541 | word ^'fnit'" shows it was no longer |
| 16542 | used in his time. It was an extensive |
| 16543 | reservoir secured by dams, and from |
| 16544 | it cliamiels conveyed the water in |
| 16545 | different directions to all parts of that |
| 16546 | inland province. A small reservoir |
| 16547 | at the modern town, a very humble |
| p. 239 | |
| 16548 | Chap. 147, 148. |
| 16549 | THE LABYEINTH. |
| 16550 | 229 |
| 16551 | hood of the place called the city of Crocodiles/ I visited |
| 16552 | this place, and found it to surpass description ; for if |
| 16553 | all the walls and other great works of the Greeks could |
| 16554 | be put together in one, they would not equal, either for |
| 16555 | labour or expense, this Labyrinth f and yet the temple |
| 16556 | of Ephesus is a building worthy of note,^ and so is the |
| 16557 | imitation of the Lake Mceris, supplies |
| 16558 | in the same manner the various |
| 16559 | streams that irrigate the Fyoum ; and |
| 16560 | the ancient lalce being a work of man |
| 16561 | accords with Pliny's " Mwridis lacus |
| 16562 | hoc est fossa grandis," as well as with |
| 16563 | the assertion of Herodotus. The |
| 16564 | other lake, now Birket-el-Korn, is |
| 16565 | formed by natin-e, and receives as in |
| 16566 | former times the superabundant water |
| 16567 | that ran off after the lands had been |
| 16568 | irrigated by the channels from the |
| 16569 | artificial Ma?ris. See M. Linant's |
| 16570 | Memoir on his interesting and im- |
| 16571 | portant discovery. — [G. W.] |
| 16572 | ' Afterwards called Arsinoe, from |
| 16573 | the wife and sister of Ptolemy Phila- |
| 16574 | delphus, like the port on the Picd Sea |
| 16575 | (now Suez). The reason of the croco- |
| 16576 | dile being sacred in this inland pro- |
| 16577 | vince was to ensure the maintenance |
| 16578 | of the canals, as De Paiiw observes |
| 16579 | (voh ii. pt. iii. s. 7, p. 122).— [G. W. j |
| 16580 | ^ The admiration expressed by |
| 16581 | Herodotus for the Labyrinth is |
| 16582 | singular, when there were so many |
| 16583 | far more magnificent buildings at |
| 16584 | Thebes, of wliich he takes no notice. |
| 16585 | It was probably the beauty of the |
| 16586 | stone, the richness of its decoration, |
| 16587 | and the peculiarity of its plan that |
| 16588 | struck him so much. Remains of the |
| 16589 | white stones he mentions may still be |
| 16590 | traced even in the upper part ; they |
| 16591 | are a hard silicious limestone, and the |
| 16592 | broken columns of red granite with |
| 16593 | bud capitals, are perhaps those alluded |
| 16594 | to by Pliny, who supposes them por- |
| 16595 | phjny. Strabo gives the length of the |
| 16596 | Labyrinth as a stadium, which agi'ees |
| 16597 | very nearly Avith the actual measure- |
| 16598 | ment, and makes the pyramid at the |
| 16599 | end of it 4 plethra, or 400 feet, square, |
| 16600 | and the same in heiglit, which Hero- |
| 16601 | dotus calculates at 50 orgyies, or 300 |
| 16602 | feet (see note ^ on ch. 13(5). The exca- |
| 16603 | vations made by the Prussian commis- |
| 16604 | sion have ascertained the exact size |
| 16605 | and plan of tlie Labyrinth. The oldest |
| 16606 | name found tliere was of Amun-m-he |
| 16607 | III., who corresponds to Ameres, and |
| 16608 | whose innuediate predecessor Lamaris |
| 16609 | (or Labaris) is said by Manetho to liave |
| 16610 | made the Labyrinth. Perhaps fied' ov |
| 16611 | Aafiapis was corrupted from fieff ov 8e |
| 16612 | Mdpis. 'J'hese resemblances of names |
| 16613 | led to niimerous mistakes of Greek |
| 16614 | writers (see note " on ch. 13, and note ^ |
| 16615 | on ch. 100). Gliddon thinks Labyrinth |
| 16616 | was so called from Labaris (Otia -.Egyp- |
| 16617 | tiaca). Strabo's position of the Laby- |
| 16618 | rinth is well described ; and his dis- |
| 16619 | tance of 100 stadia from Arsinoe |
| 16620 | agrees very well with the 11 2 Eng. m. |
| 16621 | from the centre of its mounds to the |
| 16622 | pj^ramid of Hawara. Diodorus calls |
| 16623 | tlie foimder of the Labyrinth Llendes ; |
| 16624 | and Pliny (xxxvi. 13), who errone- |
| 16625 | ously places it in the Heracleopolite |
| 16626 | nome, and attrilnites it to king Pete- |
| 16627 | sucus, or Tithoes, shows that it stood |
| 16628 | near the frontier of the Crocodilopolite |
| 16629 | nome (or Fyoom) ; as his expression |
| 16630 | "primus factus est" implies that it |
| 16631 | was added to by other kings. This |
| 16632 | was usual in Egyptian monuments ; |
| 16633 | and the names of more than one king |
| 16634 | at the Labyrinth prove it was the case |
| 16635 | there also. If the number of chambers |
| 16636 | was equal to that of the nomes of |
| 16637 | Egypt, it must have varied greatly at |
| 16638 | different times (see note' on ch. 164). |
| 16639 | — [G. W.] |
| 16640 | •"* The original temple of Diana at |
| 16641 | Ephesus seems to have been de- |
| 16642 | stroyed by the Cimmerians (see the |
| 16643 | Essays a^tpended to Book i.. Essay i. |
| 16644 | § 14) in their gi-eat incursion during |
| 16645 | the reign of Ardys. The temple which |
| 16646 | Herodotus saw was then begun to be |
| 16647 | built by Chcrsiphron of Cnossus and |
| 16648 | his son iVIetagenes, contemporaries of |
| p. 240 | |
| 16649 | 230 THE LABYRINTH. Book II. |
| 16650 | temple of Samos.* The pyramids likewise surpass de- |
| 16651 | scription, and are severally equal to a number of the |
| 16652 | greatest works of the Greeks, but the Labyrinth sur- |
| 16653 | passes the pyramids. It has twelve courts, all of them |
| 16654 | roofed, with gates exactly opposite one another, six |
| 16655 | looking to the north, and six to the south. A single wall |
| 16656 | surrounds the entire building. There are two different |
| 16657 | sorts of chambers throughout — half under ground, |
| 16658 | half above ground, the latter built upon the former ; |
| 16659 | the wdiole number of these chambers is three thousand, |
| 16660 | fifteen hundred of each kind. The upper chambers I |
| 16661 | myself passed through and saw, and wdiat I say con- |
| 16662 | cerning them is from my own observation ; of the under- |
| 16663 | ground chambers I can only speak from report : for the |
| 16664 | keepers of the building could not be got to show^ them, |
| 16665 | since they contained (as they said) the sepulchres of the |
| 16666 | kings who built the Labyrinth, and also those of the |
| 16667 | sacred crocodiles. Thus it is from hearsay only that I |
| 16668 | can speak of the lower chambers. The upper chambers, |
| 16669 | however, 1 saw with my own eyes, and found them to |
| 16670 | excel all other human productions ; for the passages |
| 16671 | through the houses, and the varied windings of the |
| 16672 | paths across the courts, excited in me infinite admira- |
| 16673 | tion, as I passed from the courts into chambers, and |
| 16674 | from the chambers into colonnades, and from the colon- |
| 16675 | nades into fresh houses, and again from these into courts |
| 16676 | Theodoras and Rlicecus, the builders of ! Diana was rebuilt with greater magni- |
| 16677 | the Samian Herajum. (Cf.Vitruv. prajf. |
| 16678 | ad lib. vii. ; Strab. xiv. p. 918 ; Plin. |
| 16679 | H. N. xxsvi. 14.) These arcliitects |
| 16680 | did not live to complete their work, |
| 16681 | which was finished by Demetrius and |
| 16682 | Peonius of Ephesus, the rebuilder of |
| 16683 | the temple of Apollo at Branchidfe. |
| 16684 | (Vitruv. 1. s. c.) The architecture of |
| 16685 | the temple of Chersiphron was Ionic. |
| 16686 | (Vitruv. iii. 2.) It was, according to |
| 16687 | ficence, and probably on a larger scale, |
| 16688 | than before; as the dimensions given by |
| 16689 | Pliny considerably exceed those which |
| 16690 | observation assigns to the Herajum of |
| 16691 | Samos, while the Heranuu was in the |
| 16692 | days of Herodotus ' ' the largest of Greek |
| 16693 | temples" (infra, iii. 60). jSTo traces |
| 16694 | remain of this much-admired fabric |
| 16695 | (Cliandler, vol. i. p. 153), unless the |
| 16696 | ruins noticed by Mr. namilton, near |
| 16697 | Pliny, 220 years in building. After j the western extremity of the town |
| 16698 | its destruction by Eratostratus in the I (Asia Minor, vol. ii. pp. 24-5), are |
| 16699 | year of Alexander's birth (Plut. Alex. > admitted to mark its site. |
| 16700 | c. 1. Timaius, Fr. 137), the temple of ' "* Vide infra, iii. 60, note. |
| p. 241 | |
| 16701 | Chap. 149. |
| 16702 | LAKE M(ER1S. |
| 16703 | 231 |
| 16704 | unseen before. The roof was throughout of stone, Hke |
| 16705 | the walls ; and the walls were carved all over with |
| 16706 | figures ; every court was surrounded with a colonnade, |
| 16707 | which was built of white stones, exquisitely fitted |
| 16708 | together. At the corner of the Labyrinth stands a |
| 16709 | pyramid, forty fathoms high, with large figures engraved |
| 16710 | on it ; which is entered by a subterranean passage. |
| 16711 | 149. Wonderful as is the Labyrinth, the work called |
| 16712 | the Lake of Mceris,^ which is close by the Labyrinth, is |
| 16713 | yet more astonishing. The measure of its circumference |
| 16714 | is sixty schoenes, or three thousand six hundred furlongs, |
| 16715 | which is equal to the entire length of Egypt along the |
| 16716 | sea-coast. The lake stretches in its longest direction |
| 16717 | from north to south, and in its deepest parts is of the |
| 16718 | depth of fifty fathoms. It is manifestly an artificial |
| 16719 | excavation, for nearly in the centre there stand two |
| 16720 | pyramids,®- rising to the height of fifty fathoms above |
| 16721 | the surface of the water, and extending as far beneath, |
| 16722 | crowned each of them with a colossal statue sitting |
| 16723 | upon a throne. Thus these pyramids are one hmidred |
| 16724 | fathoms high, which is exactly a furlong (stadiiun) of six |
| 16725 | hundred feet : the fathom being six feet in length, or |
| 16726 | four cubits, wliich is the same thing, since a cubit mea- |
| 16727 | sures six, and a foot four, palms.'' The water of the |
| 16728 | lake does not come out of the ground, which is here |
| 16729 | ' See note ® to the preceding chapter. |
| 16730 | " No traces remain of these pyra- |
| 16731 | mids. The ruins at Biahmoo sliow |
| 16732 | from their forms, and from the angle |
| 16733 | of their walls, 67°, that they were not |
| 16734 | pj^'amids ; unless a triangular facing |
| 16735 | made up the pyramid (see ch. 125, |
| 16736 | n. ^).~[(j. W.] |
| 16737 | ^ The measures of Hei-odotus are |
| 16738 | almost all dra\\-n either from por- |
| 16739 | tions of the human hody, or from |
| 16740 | hodily actions easily performahle. His |
| 16741 | smallest measure is the ddKTvXos, or |
| 16742 | " Jinger's hrcadth," four of which go |
| 16743 | to the TTokcuaTi] (" palm" or " hand's |
| 16744 | breadth"), while three palms make |
| 16745 | the cr7rt^a/:i)7 ("span"), and four the |
| 16746 | TTovs (" foot "). The TT^x^s (" cubit," |
| 16747 | or length from the tip ol' the fingers to |
| 16748 | the elbow) is a foot and a half, or two |
| 16749 | spans ; the dpyvid (" fathom," or ex- |
| 16750 | tent to which the arms can reach |
| 16751 | when extended) is four cubits, or six |
| 16752 | feet. The ivkidpov (a word tlie de- |
| 16753 | rivation of whicli is uncertain) is 100 |
| 16754 | feet ; and the rrraStoi/ (or distance to |
| 16755 | which a man could run before he |
| 16756 | required to stoyi) is six plethra, or |
| 16757 | GOO feet. These are the only mcasm-es |
| 16758 | used by Herodotus, besides the schaiic |
| p. 242 | |
| 16759 | 232 |
| 16760 | LAKE MCERIS. |
| 16761 | Book II. |
| 16762 | excessively drj,^ but is introduced by a canal from the |
| 16763 | Nile. The current sets for six months into the lake |
| 16764 | from the river, and for the next six months into the river |
| 16765 | from the lake. While it runs outward it returns a talent |
| 16766 | of silver daily to the royal treasury from the fish that |
| 16767 | are taken/ but when the current is the other way the |
| 16768 | return sinks to one-third of that sum. |
| 16769 | 150. The natives told me that there was a subter- |
| 16770 | ranean passage from this lake ^ to the Libyan Syrtis, |
| 16771 | running westward into the interior by the hills above |
| 16772 | and parasang, by Avhich he found dis- |
| 16773 | tances determined in Egypt and Persia |
| 16774 | 1 5aKTvAo9, |
| 16775 | respectively. The following table will |
| 16776 | exhibit his scheme of measures : — |
| 16777 | 1 TraAato'T^. |
| 16778 | 3 |
| 16779 | 1 <nn6aiXTtj. |
| 16780 | 1 TTOUS. |
| 16781 | 1 TT^Xl ?• |
| 16782 | 1 opyvLOL. |
| 16783 | 4 |
| 16784 | 12 |
| 16785 | 16 |
| 16786 | 4 |
| 16787 | H |
| 16788 | 24 |
| 16789 | 6 |
| 16790 | 2 |
| 16791 | li |
| 16792 | 96 |
| 16793 | 24 |
| 16794 | 8 |
| 16795 | 6 |
| 16796 | 4 |
| 16797 | 1600 |
| 16798 | 9600 |
| 16799 | 400 |
| 16800 | 133j |
| 16801 | 100 |
| 16802 | 66§ |
| 16803 | 16i |
| 16804 | 1 Trkidpov. |
| 16805 | 2400 |
| 16806 | 800 |
| 16807 | 600 |
| 16808 | 400 |
| 16809 | 100 |
| 16810 | 6 1 0- |
| 16811 | ^ This is the nature of the basin on |
| 16812 | which the alluvial soil has been depo- |
| 16813 | sited ; but it resembles the wliole |
| 16814 | valley of the Nile in being destitute |
| 16815 | of springs, w^hich are only met with |
| 16816 | in two or three places. The wells are |
| 16817 | all formed by the filtration of water |
| 16818 | from the river. In the Birket-el-Korn |
| 16819 | are some springs, serving, with the |
| 16820 | annual supply from the Nile, to keep |
| 16821 | up the water of the lake, which in the |
| 16822 | deepest part has only 24 feet, and it |
| 16823 | is gradually becoming more shallow |
| 16824 | from the mud brought into it by the |
| 16825 | canals.— [G. W.J |
| 16826 | " A great quantity of fish is caught |
| 16827 | even at the present day at the mouths |
| 16828 | of the canals, when they are closed |
| 16829 | and the water is prevented from |
| 16830 | returning to the Nile. It alfords a |
| 16831 | considerable revenue to the govern- |
| 16832 | ment. It is farmed by certain vil- |
| 16833 | lages on the banks, and some idea |
| 16834 | may be formed of its value b}' the |
| 16835 | village of Agalteli at Thebes paying |
| 16836 | annually for its small canal 1500 |
| 16837 | piastres, equal till lately to 21/. The |
| 16838 | custom of farming the fisheries was |
| 16839 | probably derived by the Arab govern- |
| 16840 | ment from the ancient Egj^rtians, but |
| 16841 | El Makrisi mentions it as of com- |
| 16842 | paratively late introduction. (See |
| 16843 | Silv. de Sacy's Relation de I'Egj-pte, |
| 16844 | par Abd-al-latif, p. 283, note.) He- |
| 16845 | rodotus reckons the revenue from the |
| 16846 | fish of the Lake Mceris at a talent of |
| 16847 | silver (193?. 15s. English, or as some |
| 16848 | compute it, 225Z., or 2437. 15s.) daily ; |
| 16849 | and when the water fiowed from the |
| 16850 | Nile into the lake at 20 minaj |
| 16851 | (647. 12s., or 817. Is. 8(7.), amount- |
| 16852 | ing at the lowest calculation to more |
| 16853 | than 47,0007. a-year. According to |
| 16854 | Diodorus (i. 52) this was part of the |
| 16855 | pin-monev of the queens. See n. ^ |
| 16856 | ch. oe.— fG. W.J |
| 16857 | ' Herodotus here evidently alludes |
| 16858 | to the natural lake, now liirl-et-el- |
| 16859 | Korn, not to the artificial Mceris. |
| 16860 | The belief in underground commu- |
| p. 243 | |
| 16861 | Chap. 150, 151. REIGN OF THE TWELVE KINGS. 233 |
| 16862 | Mempliis. As I could not anywhere see tlie eartli |
| 16863 | which had been taken out when the excavation was |
| 16864 | made, and I was curious to know what had become of |
| 16865 | it, I asked the Egyptians who hve closest to the lake |
| 16866 | where the earth had been put. The answer that they |
| 16867 | gave me I readily accepted as true, since I had heard |
| 16868 | of the same thing being done in Nineveh of the Assy- |
| 16869 | rians. There, once upon a time, certain thieves, having |
| 16870 | formed a plan to get into their possession the vast |
| 16871 | treasures of Sardanapalus, the Ninevite king,^ which |
| 16872 | were laid up in subterranean treasuries, proceeded to |
| 16873 | tunnel a passage from the house where they lived |
| 16874 | into the royal palace, calculating the distance and the |
| 16875 | direction. At nightfall they took the earth from the |
| 16876 | excavation and carried it to the river Tigris, which ran |
| 16877 | by Nineveh, continuing to get rid of it in this manner |
| 16878 | until they had accomplished their purpose. It was |
| 16879 | exactly in the same way that the Egyptians disposed of |
| 16880 | the mould from their excavation, except that they did |
| 16881 | it by day and not by night ; for as fast as the earth was |
| 16882 | dug, they carried it to the Nile, which they knew would |
| 16883 | disperse it far and wide. Such was the account which |
| 16884 | I received of the formation of this lake. |
| 16885 | 151. The twelve kings for some time dealt honourably |
| 16886 | by one another, but at length it happened that on a |
| 16887 | certain occasion, when they had met to worship in the |
| 16888 | temple of Yulcan, the high-priest on the last day of |
| 16889 | the festival, in bringing forth the golden goblets from |
| 16890 | which they were wont to pour the libations, mistook |
| 16891 | the number, and brought eleven goblets only for the |
| 16892 | twelve princes. Psammetichus was standing last, and |
| 16893 | nications is still very prevalent in |
| 16894 | Egypt (as in other countries) to the |
| 16895 | present (]hy ; and might very reason- |
| 16896 | ahlj" arise from what we see in lime- |
| 16897 | stone formations. — [G. W.] |
| 16898 | ^ It is uncertain which Assyrian |
| 16899 | king is here intended. The Greeks |
| 16900 | recognised two mouarchs of the name |
| 16901 | — one a warrior, who seems to be |
| 16902 | Asshur-dan-jxd, the father of the |
| 16903 | Black Obelisk king ; the other the |
| 16904 | vol uptuary, who closed the long series |
| 16905 | of Assvrian sovereigns. |
| p. 244 | |
| 16906 | 234 |
| 16907 | BANISHMENT OF PSAMMETICHUS. |
| 16908 | Book II. |
| 16909 | being left without a cup, tie took his helmet, which was |
| 16910 | of bronze,^ from oif his head, stretched it out to receive |
| 16911 | the liquor, and so made his libation. All the kings were |
| 16912 | accustomed to wear helmets, and all indeed wore them |
| 16913 | at this very time. Nor was there any crafty design in |
| 16914 | the action of Psammetichus. The eleven, however, |
| 16915 | when they came to consider what had been done, and |
| 16916 | bethought them of the oracle which had declared " that |
| 16917 | he who, of the twelve, should pour a libation from a |
| 16918 | cup of bronze, the same would be king of the whole |
| 16919 | land of Egypt," doubted at first if they should not put |
| 16920 | Psammetichus to death. Finding, how^ever, upon exa- |
| 16921 | mination, that he had acted in the matter without any |
| 16922 | guilty intent, they did not think it would be just to |
| 16923 | kill him ; but determined, instead, to strip him of |
| 16924 | the chief part of his power and to banish him to the |
| 16925 | marshes, forbidding him to leave them or to hold any |
| 16926 | communication with the rest of Eg^^Dt. |
| 16927 | 152. This was the second time that Psammetichus had |
| 16928 | been driven into banishment. On a former occasion he |
| 16929 | had fled from Sabacos the Ethiopian,^ who had put his |
| 16930 | father Necos to death ; and had taken refuge in Syi'ia, |
| 16931 | from whence, after the retirement of the Ethiop in conse- |
| 16932 | quence of his dream, he was brought back by the Egyp- |
| 16933 | tians of the Saitic canton. Now it was his ill-fortune to be |
| 16934 | banished a second time by the eleven kings, on account |
| 16935 | of the libation which he had poured from his helmet ; |
| 16936 | on this occasion he fled to the marshes. Feelino- that |
| 16937 | he was an injured man, and designing to avenge |
| 16938 | * If this were so, and the other |
| 16939 | kings wore the same kind of helmet, |
| 16940 | the Egyptians would not have been |
| 16941 | surprised at seeing men in similar |
| 16942 | armour coming from the sea(ch. 152). |
| 16943 | Bronze annour was of very early date |
| 16944 | in Egypt, and was therefore no novelty |
| 16945 | in the reign of Psammetichus. It is |
| 16946 | represented in the tombs of the kings |
| 16947 | at Thebes, and bronze plates, foiTning |
| 16948 | part of a corslet of scale ai-mour, have |
| 16949 | been found bearing the name of She- |
| 16950 | shouk, and are in Dr. Abbott's col- |
| 16951 | lection. (See note on B. vii. ch. 89.) |
| 16952 | XoXkos is really "bronze," dpelxaXKos |
| 16953 | " brass." Objects have been found of |
| 16954 | brass as well as of bronze in Eirvpt. — |
| 16955 | [G. W.] |
| 16956 | '* On the Sabacos, Tirhaka, and |
| 16957 | Psammetichus, see notes * and ^ on ch. |
| 16958 | 137, and Hist. Notice in App. ch. viii. |
| 16959 | §31-34.— ro.w.i |
| p. 245 | |
| 16960 | Chap. 152. |
| 16961 | HE VANQUISHES THE ELEVEN. |
| 16962 | 235 |
| 16963 | himself upon liis persecutors, Psammeticlius sent to the |
| 16964 | city of Buto, where there is an oracle of Latona, the |
| 16965 | most veracious of all the oracles of the Egyptians, and |
| 16966 | having inquired concerning means of vengeance, re- |
| 16967 | ceived for answer, that " Vengeance w^ould come from |
| 16968 | the sea, when brazen men should a^Dpear." Great was |
| 16969 | his incredulity when this answer arrived, for never, |
| 16970 | he thought, would brazen men arrive to be his helpers. |
| 16971 | However, not long afterw^ards certain Carians and |
| 16972 | lonians, who had left their country on a voyage of |
| 16973 | plunder, were carried by stress of weather to Egypt, |
| 16974 | where they disembarked, all equipped in their brazen |
| 16975 | armour, and were seen by the natives, one of whom |
| 16976 | carried the tidings to Psammeticlius, and, as he had |
| 16977 | never before seen men clad in brass, he reported that |
| 16978 | brazen men had come from the sea and were plundering |
| 16979 | the plain. • Psammeticlius, perceiving at once that the |
| 16980 | oracle was accomplished, made friendly advances to the |
| 16981 | strangers, and engaged them, by splendid promises, to |
| 16982 | enter into his service. He then, wdth their aid and |
| 16983 | that of the Egyptians who espoused his cause, attacked |
| 16984 | the eleven and vanquished them.^ |
| 16985 | * The improbability of a few Ionian |
| 16986 | and Carian pirates having enabled |
| 16987 | Psammeticbus to obtain possession of |
| 16988 | the throne is sufficiently obvious. The |
| 16989 | Egyptians may not have been willing |
| 16990 | to inform Herodotus how long their |
| 16991 | kings had employed Greek mercenary |
| 16992 | troops before the Persian invasion ; |
| 16993 | and a body of troops would not have |
| 16994 | landed opportunely to fulfil an oracle. |
| 16995 | This was in fact the first time that |
| 16996 | the Egyjitian Pharaohs had recourse to |
| 16997 | Greek mercenaries, and began to find |
| 16998 | their utility ; and though the ancient |
| 16999 | kings in the glorious times of Egy[it's |
| 17000 | great power had foreign auxiliaries (see |
| 17001 | woodcut ; and that in note, B. vii. cb. 61, |
| 17002 | where three of these people are enemies |
| 17003 | of Egypt), they were levies composing |
| 17004 | part of the army, like those of the vari- |
| 17005 | ous nations which contributed to the |
| 17006 | expeditions of Xerxes and other Per- |
| 17007 | sian monarchs. But the introduction |
| 17008 | of Greek paid troops into the Egyptian |
| 17009 | service excited the jealousy of the |
| 17010 | native army (who could not iiave been |
| 17011 | long in perceiving the superiority of |
| 17012 | those strangers) ; and the favour sho'UTi |
| 17013 | to them led to the defection of the |
| 17014 | Egj^ptian troops (see note * on ch. 30). |
| 17015 | The Egyptian army had lost its former |
| 17016 | military ardour ; and now that Syria |
| 17017 | was so often threatened by the power- |
| 17018 | ful nations of Asia, it was natural |
| 17019 | that Psammeticbus should seek to |
| 17020 | employ foreigners, whose courage and |
| 17021 | fidelity he could trust. (See Hist. |
| 17022 | Notice, App. CH. viii. § 34.) Herodotus |
| 17023 | states that these Greek troops were |
| 17024 | the first foreigners allowed to establish |
| 17025 | themselves in Egypt ; that is, after |
| 17026 | the Shepherds and Israelites left it |
| p. 246 | |
| 17027 | 236 |
| 17028 | EEIGN OF PSAMMETICHtJS. |
| 17029 | Book II, |
| 17030 | 153. When Psammeticliiis had thus become sole |
| 17031 | monarch of Egypt, he built the southern gateway of the |
| 17032 | temple of Yulcan in Memphis, and also a court for Apis, |
| 17033 | in which Apis ^ is kept whenever he makes his appear- |
| 17034 | ance in Egypt. This court is opposite the gateway of |
| 17035 | Psammetichus, and is surrounded with a colonnade and |
| 17036 | (see note* cli. 112). Strabo (xvii. p. |
| 17037 | 1131) speaks of the employment of |
| 17038 | mercenary troops iu Egj-pt as an old |
| 17039 | custom. That of Psammetichus dif- |
| 17040 | fered from the earlier system of auxili- |
| 17041 | aries ; it was a sign of weakness, and |
| 17042 | was fatal to Egyjjt as to Carthage (see |
| 17043 | IMacchiavelli, Princ. c. 13). Polya^nus |
| 17044 | says that Psammetichus took the Ca- |
| 17045 | rians into his pay hoping that the |
| 17046 | plumes they wore on their helmets |
| 17047 | pointed to the oracle, whicli had |
| 17048 | warned Temauthes, then king of |
| 17049 | Egypt, against cocks. (Cp. Plut. Vit. |
| 17050 | Artax. of Carian crests.) With them |
| 17051 | he therefore attacked Temanthes, and |
| 17052 | having killed him, gave those soldiers |
| 17053 | a quarter in Memphis, thence called |
| 17054 | Caromemphis. The mercenary troops, |
| 17055 | or " hired men," iu the time of " Ne- |
| 17056 | cho," are mentioned in Jeremiah |
| 17057 | (xlvi. 21).— [G. W.] |
| 17058 | Foreign Auxiliaries in the time of itemescs III. |
| 17059 | " This court was surrounded by |
| 17060 | Osiride pillars, like that of Medeenet |
| 17061 | Hahoo at Thebes. Attached to it were |
| 17062 | probably the two stables, " delubra," |
| 17063 | or " thalami," mentioned by Pliny |
| 17064 | (viii. 46) ; and Strabo (xvii. p. 555) |
| 17065 | saj's, " before the sekos or chamber |
| 17066 | where Apis is kept is a vestibule, in |
| 17067 | which is another chamber for the |
| 17068 | mother of the sacred bull, and into |
| 17069 | this vestibule Apis is sometimes intro- |
| 17070 | duced, particularly when shown to |
| 17071 | strangers ; at other times he is only |
| 17072 | seen through a window of the sekos. |
| 17073 | .... The temjile of Apis is close to |
| 17074 | that of Vulcan." Pliny pretends that |
| 17075 | the entry of Apis into the one or the |
| 17076 | other of the " delubra " Avas a good or |
| 17077 | a bad omen. On Apis, see above, ch. |
| 17078 | 38, note ^, and compare B. iii. ch. 28. |
| 17079 | — [G. W.] |
| p. 247 | |
| 17080 | Chap. 155. |
| 17081 | TEMPLE OF BUTO. |
| 17082 | 239 |
| 17083 | tliey dwelt originally, before they were removed by |
| 17084 | Amasis. Such was the mode by which Psammetichns |
| 17085 | became master of Egypt. |
| 17086 | 155. I have already made mention more than once |
| 17087 | of the Egyptian oracle,^ and as it well deserves notice, |
| 17088 | I shall now proceed to give an account of it more at |
| 17089 | length. It is a temple of Latona,^ situated in the |
| 17090 | midst of a great city on the Sebennytic mouth of |
| 17091 | the Nile, at some distance up the river from the sea. |
| 17092 | The name of the city, as I have before observed, is |
| 17093 | Buto ; and in it are two other temples also, one of Apollo |
| 17094 | and one of Diana. Latona's temple, which contains the |
| 17095 | oracle, is a spacious building with a gateway ten fathoms |
| 17096 | in height.* The most wonderful thing that was actually |
| 17097 | ^ Supra, chs. 83, 133, and 152. |
| 17098 | There were several other oracles, but |
| 17099 | that of Buto, or Latona, was held in |
| 17100 | the highest repute. (See ch. 83.) |
| 17101 | •'' Herodotus saj'S that this goddess |
| 17102 | was one of the great Deities (ch. 156). |
| 17103 | She appears to be a character of Maut, |
| 17104 | and may, in one of her characters, be |
| 17105 | Thriphis the Goddess of Athribis, |
| 17106 | where the Mygale or shrew-mouse, |
| 17107 | which was sacred to Buto, was said |
| 17108 | by Strabo to have been worshipjjed. |
| 17109 | I have seen a small figure of a hedge- |
| 17110 | hog with the name of Buto upon it, |
| 17111 | Buto, as Champollion supposed, was |
| 17112 | prtibably primaeval darkness. (See |
| 17113 | notes ^ and * on B. ii. ch. 59, and App. |
| 17114 | CH. iii. § 2, Maid.) Lucian (De Dea |
| 17115 | Syria, s. 36) says there were many |
| 17116 | oracles in Egypt, as in Greece, Asia, |
| 17117 | and Libj'a, the responses of which |
| 17118 | were given " by priests and prophets." |
| 17119 | The principal ones in Egypt were of |
| 17120 | ]5uto, Hercules (Gem), Apollo (Ho- |
| 17121 | rns), Minerva (Neith), Diana (Bu- |
| 17122 | bastis), Mars (Honurius, or more pro- |
| 17123 | bably Mandoo, see note "* on ch. 63), |
| 17124 | and Jupiter (Amun, at Thebes ; see |
| 17125 | chs. 54, 57, 83, 111, 133). That of |
| 17126 | Besa was also noted, which was said by |
| 17127 | Ammianus Marcellinus to have been |
| 17128 | at Abydus, or, according to others, |
| 17129 | near the more modern Antinoopolis ; |
| 17130 | Imt it is uncertain who that Deity |
| 17131 | was. Heliopolis had also its oracle |
| 17132 | (Macrob. Satur. i. 30) ; but the most |
| 17133 | celebrated was that of " Amnion " in |
| 17134 | the Oasis. The position of the city |
| 17135 | of Latona, near the Sebennytic mouth, |
| 17136 | was on tlie W. bank, between tiiat |
| 17137 | branch of the Xile and the lake, about |
| 17138 | 20 miles from the sea. The isle of |
| 17139 | Chemmis was in that lake. Hero- |
| 17140 | dotus is supposed to have been in- |
| 17141 | delited to Hecata?us for the mention |
| 17142 | of this island. (See Miiller's Fragm. |
| 17143 | Hist. Gra^c. vol. i.)— [G. W.] |
| 17144 | ■* This is the height of the pyra- |
| 17145 | midal towers of the propylajum, or |
| 17146 | court of entrance. The 10 orgj'ia'', |
| 17147 | or 60 feet, is the full height of those |
| 17148 | towers, which seldom exceed 50. In |
| 17149 | front, on either side of the entrance, was |
| 17150 | usually a colossus of the king, before |
| 17151 | which stood tAVO obelisks terminating |
| 17152 | an avenue, or dromos, of sphinxes. |
| 17153 | Clemens confounds the propylanim |
| 17154 | with the pronaos. Pylon, pjddne, and |
| 17155 | propylon are applied to tlie stone gate- |
| 17156 | way, when standing alone before the |
| 17157 | temple ; and the same kind of entrance |
| 17158 | is repeated between tlie two towers of |
| 17159 | the inner court or propylanim, imme- |
| 17160 | diately " before the door " of the |
| 17161 | actual temple, or at least of its por- |
| 17162 | tico. A stone pylon is also placed |
| 17163 | as a side entrance to the crude brick |
| 17164 | enclosiire of a temenos. — [G. AV.] |
| p. 248 | |
| 17165 | 240 |
| 17166 | ISLAND OF CHEMMIS. |
| 17167 | Book II. |
| 17168 | to be seen about this temple ^ was a chapel in the |
| 17169 | enclosure made of a single stone/ the length and height |
| 17170 | of which were the same, each wall being forty cubits |
| 17171 | square, and the whole a single block ! Another block |
| 17172 | of stone formed the roof, and projected at the eaves to |
| 17173 | the extent of four cubits. |
| 17174 | 156. This, as I have said, was what astonished me |
| 17175 | the most, of all the things that were actually to be seen |
| 17176 | about the temple. The next greatest marvel was the |
| 17177 | island called Chemmis. This island lies in the middle |
| 17178 | of a broad and deep lake close by the temple, and the |
| 17179 | natives declare that it floats. For my own part I did |
| 17180 | 5 Herodotus says, " the most won- |
| 17181 | derful thing that was actually to he |
| 17182 | seen,"' becaiise he considers that the |
| 17183 | wonder of the floating island, which |
| 17184 | he "did not see" (ch. 156), would, if |
| 17185 | true, have been still more astonishing. |
| 17186 | ® According to these measurements, |
| 17187 | supposing the walls to have been only |
| 17188 | 6 feet thick, and the material granite, |
| 17189 | as in other monoliths, this monu- |
| 17190 | ment would weigh upwards of 6738 |
| 17191 | tons, being 76,032 cubic feet, Avithout |
| 17192 | the cornice, which was placed on the |
| 17193 | roof. The reigns of the Psammetichi |
| 17194 | and other kings of this 26th dynasty |
| 17195 | were the period of the renaissance or |
| 17196 | revival of art in Egjpt ; both for the |
| 17197 | size and beauty of the monuments ; |
| 17198 | and though the sculptures are not so |
| 17199 | spirited as during the 18th and 19th |
| 17200 | dynasties, they have great elegance, |
| 17201 | sharpness of execution, and beauty of |
| 17202 | finish. It is singular that though the |
| 17203 | sculptures and paintings in the tombs |
| 17204 | near the pyramids are inferior to those |
| 17205 | of the best age, and though progress is |
| 17206 | perceptible in different times, there is |
| 17207 | no really rude or archaic stj'le in |
| 17208 | Egypt ; there are no specimens of a |
| 17209 | jirimitive state, or early attempts in |
| 17210 | art, such as are found in other coun- |
| 17211 | tries; and the masonry of the oldest |
| 17212 | monuments that remain, the pyramids, |
| 17213 | vies with that of any subsequent |
| 17214 | age, particularly in their exquisitely |
| 17215 | wrought granite. The art of Egypt |
| 17216 | was of native growth, and was original |
| 17217 | and characteristic ; but the Egj'ptians, |
| 17218 | like all other people, borrowed occa- |
| 17219 | sionalh' from those with whom they |
| 17220 | had early intercourse ; and as the As- |
| 17221 | syrians adopted from them the winged |
| 17222 | globe, the lotus, and many other em- |
| 17223 | blems or devices, the Egyptians seem |
| 17224 | also to have taken from Assyria certain |
| 17225 | ornaments unknown in Egypt before |
| 17226 | and during the 12th dynasty. Among |
| 17227 | these may be mentioned vases with |
| 17228 | the heads of a horse, a cock, a vul- |
| 17229 | ture, or an eagle (such as is given to |
| 17230 | the supposed Assyrian deity Nisroch), |
| 17231 | the knot, and the feather patterns, |
| 17232 | and perhaps some of the trappings |
| 17233 | of the horse, an animal apparently |
| 17234 | introduced from Asia. Even the |
| 17235 | Typhonian monster with feathers on |
| 17236 | his head, so common under the 22nd |
| 17237 | dj'nasty, seems to have some con- |
| 17238 | nexion with Asia, as well as with |
| 17239 | Libya. Those devices first occur on |
| 17240 | monuments of the 18th and 19th |
| 17241 | dynasties, whose kings came much in |
| 17242 | contact with the Assyrians ; and it was |
| 17243 | perhaps from them that the pointed |
| 17244 | arch of that time was copied, which, |
| 17245 | though not on the principle of the true |
| 17246 | arch, appears to have been cut into the |
| 17247 | stone roof, in imitation of wliat the |
| 17248 | Egyjitians had seen, as the round one |
| 17249 | was in imitation of the brick arches |
| 17250 | tliev had themselves so long used |
| 17251 | (see n. ' ch. 136).— [G. W.] |
| p. 249 | |
| 17252 | Chap. 156. |
| 17253 | ISLAND OF CHEMMIS. |
| 17254 | 241 |
| 17255 | not see it float, or even move ; and I wondered greatly, |
| 17256 | when they told me concerning it, whether there be |
| 17257 | really such a thing as a floating island.'' It has a grand |
| 17258 | temple of Apollo built upon it, in which are three dis- |
| 17259 | tinct altars. Palm-trees grow on it in great abundance, |
| 17260 | and many other trees, some of which bear fruit, while |
| 17261 | others are barren. The Egyptians tell the following |
| 17262 | story in connexion with this island, to explain the way |
| 17263 | in which it first came to float: — "In former times, when |
| 17264 | the isle was still fixed and motionless, Latona, one of the |
| 17265 | eight gods of the first order, who dwelt in the city of |
| 17266 | Buto, where now she has her oracle, received Apollo |
| 17267 | as a sacred charge from Isis, and saved him by hiding |
| 17268 | him in what is now called the floating island. Typhon |
| 17269 | meanwhile was searching everywhere in hopes of find- |
| 17270 | ing the child of Osiris." (According to the Egyptians, |
| 17271 | Apollo and Diana are the children of Bacchus and Isis;^ |
| 17272 | while Latona is their nurse and their preserver. They |
| 17273 | call Apollo, in their language, Horus ; Ceres they call |
| 17274 | Isis ; Diana, Bubastis. From this Egyptian tradition, |
| 17275 | and from no other, it must have been that iEschylus, |
| 17276 | the son of Euphorion, took the idea, which is found in |
| 17277 | none of the earlier poets, of making Diana the daughter |
| 17278 | of Oeres.^) The island, therefore, in consequence of |
| 17279 | ^ Hecatt'vns had related the marvels |
| 17280 | of this island, Avhicli he calledChembis, |
| 17281 | without any ajipearance of incredulity. |
| 17282 | (Fr. 284.) There is a tacit allusion to |
| 17283 | him in this passasje. |
| 17284 | " Apollo was Horus, the son of Isis |
| 17285 | and Osiris (Ceres and Bacchus) ; but |
| 17286 | he had no sister in Egyptian my- |
| 17287 | thology, and Diana was Bubastis or |
| 17288 | Pasht, who appears to be one of the |
| 17289 | great deities, and was tlie second mem- |
| 17290 | ber of the great triad of Memi>his, |
| 17291 | composed of Pthah, Pasht, and Nofre- |
| 17292 | Atmoo. The Diaxaa of the Greeks |
| 17293 | was daughter of Latona ; and Hero- |
| 17294 | dotus and Plutarch say that ^Eschylus |
| 17295 | was the only one who mentions her as |
| 17296 | Ceres, in imitation of the Egj'ptians. |
| 17297 | VOL. II. |
| 17298 | Aroeris and even Hor-Hat were also |
| 17299 | supposed by the Greeks to answer to |
| 17300 | Apollo, from their having a hawk's |
| 17301 | head like Horus. They therefore called |
| 17302 | the city of Hor-Hat Apollinopolis |
| 17303 | Magna {Edfoo), and that of Aroeris |
| 17304 | Apollinopolis Parva (Kooft). — [G. W.] |
| 17305 | ® Pausanias reports this also (viii. |
| 17306 | xxxvii. § 3), but seems to be merely |
| 17307 | following Herodotus. It is not a |
| 17308 | happy conjecture of Bahr's (not. ad |
| 17309 | loc.) that it was for revealing this |
| 17310 | secret (?) that ^schylus was accused |
| 17311 | of violating the mysteries. The men- |
| 17312 | tion of ^schylus is important, as |
| 17313 | showing thatHerodotuswas acquainted |
| 17314 | with his writings. |
| p. 250 | |
| 17315 | 242 |
| 17316 | SIEGE OF AZOTUS. — ACCESSION OF NECOS. Book II. |
| 17317 | tills event, was first made to float. Such at least is the |
| 17318 | account which the Egyptians give. |
| 17319 | 157. Psammetichus ruled Egypt for fifty-four years, |
| 17320 | during twenty-nine of "^rhich he pressed the siege of |
| 17321 | Azotus^ without intermission, till finally he took the |
| 17322 | place. Azotus is a great town in Syria. Of all the |
| 17323 | cities that we know, none ever stood so long a siege. |
| 17324 | 158. Psammetichus left a son called Necos, who suc- |
| 17325 | ceeded him upon the throne. This prince was the first |
| 17326 | to attempt the construction of the canal to the Red |
| 17327 | Sea,^ — a work completed afterwards by Darius the Per- |
| 17328 | * Azotus is Ashdod or Asbdoodeli of |
| 17329 | sacred scripture. This shows howmuch |
| 17330 | the E:j:yptiau power had declined wheu |
| 17331 | Psammetichus was obliged to besiege |
| 17332 | a city near the confines of Egj'pt for |
| 17333 | so long a time as twenty-nine years, |
| 17334 | the armies of the Pharaohs in the |
| 17335 | glorious days of the ISth and 19th |
| 17336 | d\'nasties being in the constant habit |
| 17337 | of traversing the whole country from |
| 17338 | the Nile to the Euphrates. Diodorus |
| 17339 | says it was in the Syrian campaign |
| 17340 | that the Egj-ptian troops deserted from |
| 17341 | Psammetichus. The capture of Azotus |
| 17342 | f^icilitated the advance of his son Neco |
| 17343 | when he continued the war. The |
| 17344 | duration of the siege of Azotus was |
| 17345 | probably owing to its having received |
| 17346 | an xVssyrian garrison, being an im- |
| 17347 | portant advanced point to keep the |
| 17348 | ELn*'iitians in check ; and the king of |
| 17349 | Nineveh was perhaps prevented by cir- |
| 17350 | cumstances at that time from sending |
| 17351 | to succour it. For Tartan had been |
| 17352 | sent by " Sargon, king of Assyria," |
| 17353 | and had taken Ashdod (Isaiah xx. |
| 17354 | 1). He was the same who went from |
| 17355 | Sennacherib, the son and successor of |
| 17356 | Sargon, to Hezekiah (2 Kings xviii. |
| 17357 | 17) four years afterwards, with Eab- |
| 17358 | saris and Habshakeh, B.C. 710, just |
| 17359 | before the defeat of Sennacherib. Tar- |
| 17360 | tan is thought not to be the name of |
| 17361 | an individual, but the title "general'' |
| 17362 | though the two others are names. |
| 17363 | The mention of Ethiopians and Egyp- |
| 17364 | tians taken prisoners by the Assyrians |
| 17365 | (Is. XX. 4) doubtless refers to the pre- |
| 17366 | vious capture of Azotus, when it held |
| 17367 | a mixed garrison (Egypt liaving then |
| 17368 | an Ethiopian dynasty) which was |
| 17369 | compelled to surrender to the As- |
| 17370 | syrians. Ashdod was the strong |
| 17371 | city of the Philistines, where they |
| 17372 | took the ark " into the house of |
| 17373 | Dagon " (1 Sam. v. 2) ; and that it |
| 17374 | was alwaj-s a fortified place is shown |
| 17375 | by the name signifying, like the |
| 17376 | Arabic, shedeed, " sti-ong." In the |
| 17377 | wars between the Egyptians and Assy- |
| 17378 | rians it was at one time in the pos- |
| 17379 | session of one, at another of the rival |
| 17380 | power. Psammetichus reigned accord- |
| 17381 | ing to Herodotus fifty-four years, |
| 17382 | and his 54th year occurs on the Apis |
| 17383 | Stelaj (see Historical Notice of Egypt |
| 17384 | in Appendix, ch. viii. § 33). — [G. W.J |
| 17385 | ^ Herodotus says Neco (or Necos) |
| 17386 | began the canal, and Strabo attributes |
| 17387 | it to " Psammetichus his son ;" but |
| 17388 | the riiins on its banks show that it |
| 17389 | already existed in the time of Eemeses |
| 17390 | II., and that the statement of Aris- |
| 17391 | totle, Strabo, and Pliny, who ascribe |
| 17392 | its commencement at least to Se.sos- |
| 17393 | tris, is founded on fact. That fi"om |
| 17394 | its sandy site it would require fre- |
| 17395 | quent re-excavating is very evident, |
| 17396 | and these successive operations may |
| 17397 | have given to the difierent kings by |
| 17398 | whom they were performed the credit |
| 17399 | of commencing the canal. It is cer- |
| 17400 | tainly inconsistent to suppose that |
| 17401 | the Egyptians (who of all people had |
| 17402 | the greatest experience in making |
| 17403 | canals, and who even to the late time |
| p. 251 | |
| 17404 | Chap. 157, 158. |
| 17405 | GANAL TO THE RED SEA. |
| 17406 | 243 |
| 17407 | sian ^ — the length of which is four days' journey, and |
| 17408 | the width such as to admit of two triremes being rowed |
| 17409 | alons: it abreast. The water is derived from the Nile, |
| 17410 | which the canal leaves a little above the city of Bubastis,* |
| 17411 | of Nero were the people consulted |
| 17412 | about cutting through the Isthmus of |
| 17413 | Curinth — Lucian) should have been |
| 17414 | obliged to wait for its completion till |
| 17415 | the accession of the Ptolemies. The |
| 17416 | authority of Herodotus suffices to |
| 17417 | prove that it was completed in his |
| 17418 | time to the Red Sea ; and the monu- |
| 17419 | ments of Itemeses at a town on its |
| 17420 | banks prove that it existed in his |
| 17421 | reign. Neco may have discontinued |
| 17422 | the re-opening of it ; Darius may have |
| 17423 | completed it, as Herodotus states, both |
| 17424 | here and in Book iv. ch. 39 ; and it |
| 17425 | may have been re-opened and improved |
| 17426 | by the Ptolemies, and again by the |
| 17427 | Arabs. In like jnanner, though the |
| 17428 | Alexandrian canal is attributed entirely |
| 17429 | to Mohammed Ali, this does not prove |
| 17430 | that it was not the successor of an older |
| 17431 | canal, which left the Nile at another |
| 17432 | point. The trade of Egypt was very |
| 17433 | great with other countries, to which |
| 17434 | she exported corn at a remote period ; |
| 17435 | and we find from Athenttus (ii. c. 3) |
| 17436 | that Bacchylides, who lived about the |
| 17437 | time of Pindar, speaks of corn going |
| 17438 | to Greece in ships from Egypt, when |
| 17439 | he says, " all men when drunk fancy |
| 17440 | they are kings, their houses are re- |
| 17441 | splendent with gold and ivory, and |
| 17442 | corn-bearing shijis bring over the |
| 17443 | bright sea the abimdant wealth of |
| 17444 | Egypt." W^ieat is represented as its |
| 17445 | staiile commodity, at the coronation |
| 17446 | of the early Egyptian kings. The |
| 17447 | trade with Arabia by sea appears to |
| 17448 | have ojiened as early as the 12tli |
| 17449 | dynasty, and afterwards extended to |
| 17450 | India. But even imder the Ptolemies |
| 17451 | and Caesars, it was confined to the |
| 17452 | western coast and the islands ; and in |
| 17453 | Strabo's time " few merchants went |
| 17454 | from Egypt to the Ganges" (xv. p. |
| 17455 | 472). The first Egj^tian port on the |
| 17456 | Pied Sea was probably iEnnum, after- |
| 17457 | wards Philotera, from the youngest |
| 17458 | sister of Ptolemy Philadelphus (now |
| 17459 | old Kossayr), at the watering-place |
| 17460 | near which are the monuments of |
| 17461 | Amun-iu-he II. and Osirtasen II. |
| 17462 | -[G. W.] |
| 17463 | ^ An inscription of Darius in the |
| 17464 | Persian Cuneiform character is en- |
| 17465 | graved upon the Suez stone near the |
| 17466 | embouchure of tie ancient canal. It |
| 17467 | reads : " Daryavnsh naqa wazarka," |
| 17468 | " Darius the Great King." (Behistun |
| 17469 | Memoir, vol. i. p. 313.) |
| 17470 | * The commencement of the Red |
| 17471 | Sea canal was in difi'erent places |
| 17472 | at various periods. In the time of |
| 17473 | Herodotus it left the Pelusiac branch |
| 17474 | a little above Bubastis ; it was |
| 17475 | afterwards supplied with water by |
| 17476 | the Anmis Trajanus, which left the |
| 17477 | Nile at Babylon (near old Cairo), |
| 17478 | and the portion of it that remains |
| 17479 | now begins a short distance from |
| 17480 | Belbays, which is about 11 miles |
| 17481 | south of Bubastis. Strabo must be |
| 17482 | wrong in saying it was at Phacusa, |
| 17483 | which is too low down the stream. |
| 17484 | The difi'erence of 13 feet between the |
| 17485 | levels of the Red Sea and Llediterra- |
| 17486 | nean is now proved to be an error. |
| 17487 | Pliny says that Ptolemy desisted from |
| 17488 | the work finding the Red Sea was |
| 17489 | 3 cubits (4^ feet) higher than the |
| 17490 | land of Egypt ; but, independent of |
| 17491 | our knowing that it was already |
| 17492 | finished in Herodotus' time, it is ob- |
| 17493 | vious that a people accustomed to |
| 17494 | sluices, and eveiy contrivance neces- |
| 17495 | saiy for water of various levels, would |
| 17496 | not be deterred by this, or a far |
| 17497 | greater, difference in the height of the |
| 17498 | sea and the Nile, and Diodorus ex- |
| 17499 | pressly states that sluices were con- |
| 17500 | stnicted at its mouth. If so these |
| 17501 | were on account of the different levels, |
| 17502 | which varied materially at high and |
| 17503 | low Nile, and at each tide, of 5 to 6 |
| 17504 | feet, in the Red Sea, and to jirevent |
| 17505 | the sea-water from tainting that of |
| 17506 | the canal. The city of the Eels, |
| 17507 | Phagroriopolis, was evidently founded |
| 17508 | on its banks to insure the maintenance |
| 17509 | B 2 |
| p. 252 | |
| 17510 | 244 |
| 17511 | CANAL TO THE EED SEA. |
| 17512 | Book II. |
| 17513 | near Patumiis, the Arabian town,^ being continued |
| 17514 | thence until it joins the lied Sea. At jBrst it is |
| 17515 | carried along the Arabian side of the Egyptian plain, |
| 17516 | as far as the chain of hills opposite Memphis, whereby |
| 17517 | the plain is bounded, and in which lie the great |
| 17518 | stone quarries ; here it skirts the base of the hills |
| 17519 | running in a direction from west to east ; after which it |
| 17520 | turns, and enters a narrow pass, trending southwards |
| 17521 | from this point, until it enters the Arabian Gulf. From |
| 17522 | the northern sea to that which is called the southern or |
| 17523 | Erythraean, the shortest and quickest passage, which is |
| 17524 | from Mount Oasius, the boundary between Egypt and |
| 17525 | Syria, to the Gulf of Arabia, is a distance of exactly |
| 17526 | of the canal. The place of the sluices |
| 17527 | appears to be traceable near Suez, |
| 17528 | where a channel in the rock has been |
| 17529 | cut to form the mouth of the canal. |
| 17530 | It is probable that the nierchandise |
| 17531 | was transhipped from the boats in |
| 17532 | the canal to those in the harbour, on |
| 17533 | the other side of the quay, and that |
| 17534 | sluices were not opened except during |
| 17535 | the inundation, when the stream ran |
| 17536 | from the Nile to the Red Sea. In |
| 17537 | the time of the Romans it was still |
| 17538 | used, but afterwards fell into disuse, |
| 17539 | and was choked up until the caliph |
| 17540 | Omar re-opened it, in order to send |
| 17541 | supplies to Arabia, in record of which |
| 17542 | benefit he received the title of " Prince |
| 17543 | of the Faithful," Emeer el Momeneen, |
| 17544 | which was continued to or assumed |
| 17545 | by his successors. It was closed 134 |
| 17546 | years afterwards by El Munsoor Aboo |
| 17547 | Gafer, the 2nd Abbaside Caliph, to |
| 17548 | prevent supplies going to IMedeeneh, |
| 17549 | then in the hands of one of the de- |
| 17550 | scendants of Ali ; since which time it |
| 17551 | has remained clased, though El Hakem |
| 17552 | is said to have once more rendered it |
| 17553 | navigable for boats, a.d. 1000. After |
| 17554 | that it was filled up with sand, though |
| 17555 | some water passed during the high |
| 17556 | Nile as far as Shekh Hanaydik and |
| 17557 | the Bitter Lakes, until Mohammed Ali |
| 17558 | closed it entirely, and the canal now |
| 17559 | only goes to Tel e' Rigabeh, about 26 |
| 17560 | miles from Belbays. Its course was |
| 17561 | nearly due east for 35 miles from |
| 17562 | Belbays as far as Shekh Hanaydik, |
| 17563 | when it curved to the southward and |
| 17564 | ran by the Bitter Lakes to the sea. Its |
| 17565 | sea-mouth in early times was probably |
| 17566 | farther N. ; the land having risen |
| 17567 | about Suez.— [G. W.] |
| 17568 | * Herodotus calls Patumus an Ara- |
| 17569 | bian town, as lying on the east side |
| 17570 | of the Nile. Patumos was not (as I |
| 17571 | formerly supposed) near the Pied Sea, |
| 17572 | but at the commencement of the canal, |
| 17573 | and was the Pithom mentioned in |
| 17574 | Exod. i. 11. It was the Thoum (Thou) |
| 17575 | of the Itinerary of Antoninus, 54 m.p, |
| 17576 | from Babylon, whose site appears to be |
| 17577 | marked by the ruined to^\Ti opposite |
| 17578 | Tel el Wddee, 6 miles east of the mouth |
| 17579 | of the canal. From Thoum to the |
| 17580 | Bitter Lakes may be about 38 miles, |
| 17581 | and from Thoum to the sea about 80. |
| 17582 | Pliny reckons 37 m.p. from the western |
| 17583 | entrance of the canal to the Bitter |
| 17584 | Lakes, siivino; it a breadth of 100 feet |
| 17585 | and a depth^ of 40 (6. 33). Of its |
| 17586 | length, according to Herodotus, see |
| 17587 | following note. (See M. Eg. AV. i. 310 |
| 17588 | to 316.) |
| 17589 | Pithom DDS, is related to the word |
| 17590 | Thummim D^DD, which is translated |
| 17591 | in the Septuagint " Truth," and is |
| 17592 | taken from the Egj-ptian Thmei, |
| 17593 | " Truth," or " Justice," whence the |
| 17594 | Greek Be^is and erv^ios. The double |
| 17595 | capacity of the Egyptian goddess |
| 17596 | Thmei is retained in Ihwmmim. — |
| 17597 | [G. W.] |
| p. 253 | |
| 17598 | Chap. 159. |
| 17599 | NECOS GIVES EGYPT A FLEET. |
| 17600 | 245 |
| 17601 | one tliousand furlongs.^ But the way by tlie canal is |
| 17602 | very much longer, on account of the crookedness of its |
| 17603 | course. A hundred and twenty thousand of the Egyp- |
| 17604 | tians, employed upon the work in the reign of Needs, |
| 17605 | lost their lives in making the excavation.^ He at |
| 17606 | length desisted from his undertaking, in consequence |
| 17607 | of an oracle which warned him " that he was labour- |
| 17608 | ing for the barbarian." ^ The Egyptians call by the |
| 17609 | name of barbarians all such as speak a language |
| 17610 | different from their own. |
| 17611 | 159. Needs, when he gave up the construction of the |
| 17612 | canal, turned all his thoughts to war, and set to work |
| 17613 | to build a fleet of triremes,^ some intended for service |
| 17614 | in the northern sea, and some for the navigation of |
| 17615 | the Erythraean. These last were built in the Arabian |
| 17616 | Gulf, where the dry docks in which they lay are still |
| 17617 | visible. These fleets he employed wherever he had |
| 17618 | occasion ; while he also made war by land upon the |
| 17619 | * This Herodotus considers less than |
| 17620 | the length of the canal ; but his 1000 |
| 17621 | stadia (about 114 Eng. m. at 600 |
| 17622 | Greek feet to the stadium) are too |
| 17623 | much ; and he appears to have in- |
| 17624 | cluded in it the whole distance by |
| 17625 | water from the Mediterranean to the |
| 17626 | Red Sea, botli by the Nile and the |
| 17627 | canal. The length of the canal was |
| 17628 | about 80 miles, or, if measured from |
| 17629 | the Bubastite branch to the Eed Sea, |
| 17630 | about 96. The shortest distance from |
| 17631 | the MetUterranean to the Red Sea |
| 17632 | overland is about 76 miles. The line |
| 17633 | from Mount Casius is not the shortest, |
| 17634 | being about 90 miles. — [G. W.] |
| 17635 | ^ This calls to mind the loss of life |
| 17636 | when the Alexandrian canal was made |
| 17637 | by Mohammed Ali, but we may sup- |
| 17638 | pose the numbers greatly exaggerated. |
| 17639 | Mohammed Ali lost 10,000 men. |
| 17640 | The reason was that they were col- |
| 17641 | lected from distant parts of the coun- |
| 17642 | tr}% and taken to the spot, and no |
| 17643 | food being provided for them, those |
| 17644 | whose families failed to send them |
| 17645 | provisions died of hunger, and some few |
| 17646 | from fatigue or accidents. — [G. W.] |
| 17647 | ^ This was owing to the increasing |
| 17648 | power of the Asiatic nations. Berber |
| 17649 | was ajiparently an Egyptian name |
| 17650 | applied to some people of Africa, as |
| 17651 | now to the Nubians, who do not call |
| 17652 | themselves Berbers. It was afterwards |
| 17653 | extended to, and adopted by, other |
| 17654 | people. It was used by the Egv'ptians |
| 17655 | as early at least as the 18th dynasty. |
| 17656 | It is one of many instances of re- |
| 17657 | duplication of the original word. Ber |
| 17658 | became Berber, as Mar Marmar, in |
| 17659 | Marmarica, a district of North Africa ; |
| 17660 | and tlie B and M being transmutable |
| 17661 | letters, Marmarica and Barbarica would |
| 17662 | apply equally well to the coast of |
| 17663 | Barbary.— [G. W.] |
| 17664 | ^ Fleets had been equipped and |
| 17665 | built by Sesostris ; and Herodotus |
| 17666 | speaks of the docks, or the stocks, |
| 17667 | where the ships of Neco were made. |
| 17668 | The Egyptians liad one fleet on the |
| 17669 | Red Sea, and another on the Mediter- |
| 17670 | ranean ; and their ships of war are |
| 17671 | represented on a temple of Remeses |
| 17672 | III.— [G, W.] |
| p. 254 | |
| 17673 | 2iQ |
| 17674 | NECOS TAKES CADYTIS. |
| 17675 | Book II. |
| 17676 | Syrians, and defeated tliem in a pitched battle at Mag- |
| 17677 | dolus,^ after wliicli lie made himself master of Cadytis,^ |
| 17678 | a large city of Syria. The dress which he wore on |
| 17679 | these occasions he sent to Branchida3 in Milesia, as an |
| 17680 | ' The place here intended seems to |
| 17681 | he IVIegiddo, where Josiah lost his |
| 17682 | life, hetween Qilgal and Mount Car- |
| 17683 | mel, on the road through Syria north- |
| 17684 | Avards, and not Migdol (MaySwXo's), |
| 17685 | which was in Egypt. The similarity |
| 17686 | of the two names easily led to the |
| 17687 | mistalve (2 Chron. xxxv. 22). Neco |
| 17688 | had then gone " to fight against Car- |
| 17689 | chemish by Euphrates," and Josiah |
| 17690 | attacked him on his march, in the |
| 17691 | "valley of Megiddo," "as he went |
| 17692 | up against the king of Assyria to the |
| 17693 | river Euphrates" (2 Kings xxiii. |
| 17694 | 29). Neco is there called " Pharaoh |
| 17695 | (Phrah)-i\echoh." |
| 17696 | The position of the Jews between |
| 17697 | the two great rival powers exposed |
| 17698 | them to the resentment of the one |
| 17699 | against whom they to(jk pai-t ; as was |
| 17700 | the case with Hoshea, king of Israel, |
| 17701 | when he sided with " So, king of |
| 17702 | Egypt," and Shalmaneser, king of As- |
| 17703 | syria, " carried Israel away into cap- |
| 17704 | tivity" (2 Kings xvii. 4, 6).— [G.W.J |
| 17705 | There were two cities known to the |
| 17706 | Jews by the name of Migdol (^I^JP) ; |
| 17707 | one, mentioned in Exodus (xiv. 2) and |
| 17708 | Jeremiah (xlvi. 14), was not onh' on |
| 17709 | the borders of Egypt, but was actually |
| 17710 | in Egypt, as is apparent from both |
| 17711 | passages. This is undoubtedly the |
| 17712 | Magdolus of classical writers, which |
| 17713 | appeared in Hecatreus as " an Egyp- |
| 17714 | tian city " (ttoXis AlyiiTTTov, Fr. 2iS2), |
| 17715 | and which in the itinerary' of Antonine |
| 17716 | (p. 14) is placed 12 Eoman miles to |
| 17717 | the ivest or north-west (not east, as |
| 17718 | Biihr says, vol. i. p. 921) of Pelusium. |
| 17719 | Tlie other, called for distinction's sake |
| 17720 | Migdol-el ('?5<-!?n;p), was in the lot of |
| 17721 | Naphtali (Josh. xix. 38) and is fairly |
| 17722 | identified with the "Magdala" of St. |
| 17723 | Matthew (xv. 39) — the birthplace of |
| 17724 | Mary Magdalene. This place, which |
| 17725 | retains its name almost unchanged |
| 17726 | (Stanley's Palestine, p. 375), was on |
| 17727 | the borders of the Sea of Galilee, at |
| 17728 | the south-eastern corner of the plain |
| 17729 | of Gennesareth, Herodotus probably |
| 17730 | meant this last place by his Magdolus, |
| 17731 | rather than the Magdolus of Egypt. |
| 17732 | But he may well have made a con- |
| 17733 | fusion between it and Megiddo (njp), |
| 17734 | just as "some MSS. in Matth. xv.'39 |
| 17735 | turn Magdala into Magedon " (Staulev, |
| 17736 | 1. s. c). |
| 17737 | ^ After the defeat and death of |
| 17738 | Josiah, Neco proceeded to Carchemisli, |
| 17739 | and on his return, finding that the |
| 17740 | Jews had put Jehoahaz, his son, on |
| 17741 | the throne, " he made him a prisoner |
| 17742 | at Piiblah, in the land of Hamath, and |
| 17743 | after having imposed a tribute of 100 |
| 17744 | talents of silver and a talent of gold |
| 17745 | U]ion Jerusalem, he made his brother |
| 17746 | Eliakim (whose name he changed to |
| 17747 | Jehoiakim) king in his stead, carrying |
| 17748 | Jehoahaz captive to Egypt, where he |
| 17749 | died " (2 Kings xxiii. 29). Cadytis has |
| 17750 | generally been considered the Gi'eek |
| 17751 | form of the name of Jerusalem, Ka- |
| 17752 | desh, or KadusJta, " the holy" (given |
| 17753 | it after the building of the Temple by |
| 17754 | Solomon, and retained in its Arabic |
| 17755 | name EI Kuds), which was applied to |
| 17756 | other places, as Kadesh-Barnea, &c. ; |
| 17757 | but as Herodotus says (iii. 5) Cadytis |
| 17758 | appeared to him to be not much smaller |
| 17759 | than Sardis, as he probably never went |
| 17760 | to Jerusalem, and as he mentions the |
| 17761 | seaport towns from Cadytis to Jenj'sus, |
| 17762 | it is thought not to be the Jewish |
| 17763 | capital, but rather to lie on the coast. |
| 17764 | Toussaint thinks it was (iaza. Hero- |
| 17765 | dotus calling it a city of the " Syrians |
| 17766 | of Palestine r (iii. o) led to the con- |
| 17767 | clusion that it was Jerusalem, as lie |
| 17768 | seems to ai>ply that name to the Jews |
| 17769 | (ii. 104) ; but Cadytis is supposed to |
| 17770 | be the Khazita taken by Shalmaneser, |
| 17771 | which was certainly Gaza, or Ghuzzeh. |
| 17772 | He could scarcely have meant by |
| 17773 | Cadytis in ii. 159, Jerusalem ; and in |
| 17774 | iii. 5, Gaza ; yet his taking Gaza, after |
| 17775 | the defeat of Josiali and his march to |
| 17776 | Carchemish, would be inconsistent ; |
| 17777 | net so Jerusalem. — [G. W.] |
| p. 255 | |
| 17778 | Chap. 160. |
| 17779 | PSAMMIS. |
| 17780 | 247 |
| 17781 | offering to Apollo.^ After having reigned in all six- |
| 17782 | teen years,* Needs died, and at his death bequeathed |
| 17783 | the throne to his son Psammis. |
| 17784 | 160. In the reign of Psammis,^ ambassadors from |
| 17785 | Elis® arrived in Egypt, boasting that their arrange- |
| 17786 | ments for the conduct of the Olympic games were the |
| 17787 | best and fairest that could be devised, and fancying that |
| 17788 | not even the Egyptians, who surpassed all other nations |
| 17789 | in wisdom, could add anything to their perfection. |
| 17790 | When these persons reached Egypt, and explained the |
| 17791 | reason of their visit, the king summoned an assembly |
| 17792 | of all the wisest of the Egyptians. They met, and the |
| 17793 | ' Neco's dedication of liis corslet |
| 17794 | to Apollo was doubtless a compliment |
| 17795 | to the Greek troops in his pay, who |
| 17796 | had now become so necessary to the |
| 17797 | Egj'ptian kin^is. — [G. W.] |
| 17798 | For an account of the temple of |
| 17799 | Apollo at Branchidaj, see note ' on B. i. |
| 17800 | ch. 157. |
| 17801 | * The reverses which soon after- |
| 17802 | wards befel the Egj'ptians were not |
| 17803 | mentioned to Herodotus. Neco was |
| 17804 | defeated at Carchemish by Xebu- |
| 17805 | chadnezzar, in the 4th year of Je- |
| 17806 | hoiakim (Jer. xlvi. 2), and lost all |
| 17807 | the territory which it had been so |
| 17808 | long the object of the Pharaohs to |
| 17809 | possess. For " the king of Babylon |
| 17810 | took, from the river of Egjq^t imto the |
| 17811 | river Euphrates, all that pertained to |
| 17812 | the king of Egj'pt " (2 Kings xxiv. 7). |
| 17813 | This river of Eg^'pt was the small |
| 17814 | torrent-bed that formed the boundary |
| 17815 | of the country on the N.E. side by the |
| 17816 | modern El Areesh. Jerusalem was |
| 17817 | afterwards taken by Nebuchadnezzar, |
| 17818 | and the people were led into captivitv |
| 17819 | to Babylon (Jer. Hi. 28, 29, 30; 2 |
| 17820 | Kings xxiv. and xxv.), when some |
| 17821 | Jews fled to Egj'pt (2 Kings xxv. 26), |
| 17822 | and settled at Tahpanhes, or Daphna3, |
| 17823 | near Pelusium (Jer. xliii. 9), a strongly |
| 17824 | fortified post (Her. s. 11), where the |
| 17825 | king of Egypt liad a palace ; and also |
| 17826 | at Migdol, at Noph, and in the land of |
| 17827 | Pathros (Jer. xliv. 1). This was in the |
| 17828 | reign of Hophra or Apries. See Hist. |
| 17829 | Notice in App. to Book ii. — ["G.W.J |
| 17830 | ^ Psammis is called Psammetichus |
| 17831 | (Psamatik) in the sculi)tures, and |
| 17832 | Avas succeeded by a third king of |
| 17833 | that name, whose wife was called Ni- |
| 17834 | tocris (Neitacri), and whose daughter |
| 17835 | married Amasis. (See note * on |
| 17836 | ch. 100.) Psammis appears to be |
| 17837 | Psammetichus II. of the monuments, |
| 17838 | -[G.W.] |
| 17839 | * This shows the great repute of the |
| 17840 | Egyptians for learning, even at this |
| 17841 | time, when they had greatly declined |
| 17842 | as a nation. — [G. AV.] |
| 17843 | Diodorus transfers the story to the |
| 17844 | reign of Amasis, and says the answer |
| 17845 | was given by that king himself (i, |
| 17846 | 95). Plutarch (Quc-est.'Plat. vol. ii. |
| 17847 | p. 1000, A) assigns it to one of the |
| 17848 | wise men. The real impartiality of |
| 17849 | the Eleans was generally admitted |
| 17850 | (cf. Plut. Apophtheg. Peg. p. 190, |
| 17851 | C. Dio Chrysost. Ehod. p. 344, C), |
| 17852 | and is evidenced by the fact that in |
| 17853 | the only complete list of Olympian |
| 17854 | victors which we possess, that of the |
| 17855 | winners of the foot-race or stadium, |
| 17856 | Eleans occur but eight times bet\\een |
| 17857 | the original institution of the games |
| 17858 | B.C. 776, and the reign of Caracalla, |
| 17859 | A.D. 217, a period of 993 j^ears, or |
| 17860 | 249 Olympiads. Of these eight victors |
| 17861 | three occur within the first five Olym- |
| 17862 | piads, when the contest was j^robably |
| 17863 | confined to Elis and its immediate |
| 17864 | neighbourhood. (See Euseb. Chron. |
| 17865 | Can. Pars i. c. xxxiii.) |
| p. 256 | |
| 17866 | 248 |
| 17867 | ELEAN EMBASSY. |
| 17868 | Book II. |
| 17869 | Elcans having given them a full account of all their |
| 17870 | rules and regulations with respect to the contests, said |
| 17871 | that they had come to Egypt for the express purpose |
| 17872 | of learning whether the Egyptians could improve the |
| 17873 | fairness of their regulations in any j)articular. The |
| 17874 | Egyptians considered awhile, and then made inquiry, |
| 17875 | " If they allowed their own citizens to enter the lists?" |
| 17876 | The Eleans answered, " That the lists were open to all |
| 17877 | Greeks, whether they belonged to Elis or to any other |
| 17878 | state." Hereupon the Egyptians observed, " That if |
| 17879 | this were so, they departed from justice very widely, |
| 17880 | since it was impossible but that they would favour |
| 17881 | their own countrymen, and deal unfairly by foreigners. |
| 17882 | If therefore they really wished to manage the games |
| 17883 | with fairness, and if this was the object of their coming |
| 17884 | to Egypt, they advised them to confine the contests to |
| 17885 | strangers, and allow no native of Elis to be a candidate." |
| 17886 | Such was the advice which the Egyptians gave to the |
| 17887 | Eleans. |
| 17888 | 161. Psammis reigned only six years. He attacked |
| 17889 | Ethiopia,'' and died almost directly afterwards. Apries, |
| 17890 | his son,^ succeeded him upon the throne, who, excepting |
| 17891 | ' The names of Psammeticlius I. |
| 17892 | and II. frequently occur at A sou an, |
| 17893 | as well as that of Amasis. — [G. W.] |
| 17894 | * Apries is the Pharaoh-Hophra of |
| 17895 | Jeremiah (xliv. 30), whose dethrone- |
| 17896 | ment seems to be thus foretold : " I |
| 17897 | will give Pharaoh-Hophra, king of |
| 17898 | Egypt, into the hands of his enemies, |
| 17899 | and of them that seek his life." His |
| 17900 | reign was at first very prosperous, |
| 17901 | more so than of any other king of this |
| 17902 | dynasty, except his great-grandfather, |
| 17903 | Psammetichus I. He sent an expe- |
| 17904 | dition against Cyprus and Sidon, and |
| 17905 | engaged tlie king of Tyre hy sea, and |
| 17906 | having taken Gaza (Jer. xlvii. 1) he |
| 17907 | besieged Sidon, and reduced the whole |
| 17908 | of the coast of PhoBnicia (Diod. i. 68), |
| 17909 | and advancing to Jerusalem, forced |
| 17910 | the Chaldees to raise the siege (Jer. |
| 17911 | xxxvii. 5-11), thus recovering much |
| 17912 | of the territory wrested from his |
| 17913 | grandfather, Neco. But fortune then |
| 17914 | deserted him, and Nebuchadnezzar re- |
| 17915 | turned to the siege of Jerusalem and |
| 17916 | took it in the 11th year of Zedekiah |
| 17917 | (Jer. xxxix. 1, 2). According to the |
| 17918 | account given by the Egyptians to |
| 17919 | Herodotus, it was an unsuccessful ex- |
| 17920 | pedition he sent to Cyrene which |
| 17921 | caused his downfall — Amasis, who was |
| 17922 | sent to recall the Egj'ptian troops to |
| 17923 | their duty, having taken advantage of |
| 17924 | that movement to usurp the throne, |
| 17925 | which he ascended after Apries had |
| 17926 | reigned, as Manetho says, 19, or, accord- |
| 17927 | ing to Herodotus, 25 years. The name |
| 17928 | of Hophra, or Apries (Haiphra-het), oc- |
| 17929 | curs on a few monuments ; but another |
| 17930 | king, Psammetichus III., intervenes |
| 17931 | between Psammetichus II. (Psammis) |
| 17932 | and Amasis, whose daughter was mar- |
| p. 257 | |
| 17933 | Chap. IGl, 1C2. EEIGN OF APEIES. 249 |
| 17934 | Psammeticlius, his great-grandfather, was the most |
| 17935 | prosperous of all the kings that ever ruled over Egypt. |
| 17936 | The length of his reign was twenty-five years, and in |
| 17937 | the course of it he marched an army to attack Sidon, |
| 17938 | and fought a battle with the king of Tyre by sea. |
| 17939 | When at length the time came that w^as fated to bring |
| 17940 | him woe, an occasion arose which I shall describe more |
| 17941 | fully in my Libyan history,^ o^ly touching it very |
| 17942 | briefly here. An army despatched by Apries to attack |
| 17943 | Cyrene having met with a terrible reverse, the Egyp- |
| 17944 | tians laid the blame on him, imagining that he had, of |
| 17945 | malice prejDcnse, sent the troops into the jaws of de- |
| 17946 | struction. They believed he had wished a vast number |
| 17947 | of them to be slain, in order that he himself might reign |
| 17948 | with more security over the rest of the Egyptians. In- |
| 17949 | dignant therefore at this usage, the soldiers who re- |
| 17950 | turned and the friends of the slain broke instantly into |
| 17951 | revolt. |
| 17952 | 162. Apries, on learning these circumstances, sent |
| 17953 | Amasis to the rebels, to appease the tumult by per- |
| 17954 | suasion. Upon his arrival, as he was seeking to re- |
| 17955 | strain the malcontents by his exhortations, one of them, |
| 17956 | coming behind him, put a helmet on his head, saying, |
| 17957 | as he put it on, that he thereby crowned him king. |
| 17958 | Amasis was not altogether displeased at the action, as |
| 17959 | his conduct soon made manifest : for no sooner had |
| 17960 | the insurgents agreed to make him actually their king, |
| 17961 | than he prepared to march with them against Apries. |
| 17962 | That monarch, on tidings of these events reaching him, |
| 17963 | sent Patarbemis, one of his courtiers, a man of high |
| 17964 | rank, to Amasis, with orders to bring him alive into his |
| 17965 | presence. Patarbemis, on arriving at the place where |
| 17966 | ried to Amasis. The reign of Psam- |
| 17967 | meticlius III. may have been included |
| 17968 | in that of Apries. Amasis died in |
| 17969 | 525 B.C., and as Herodotus assigns |
| 17970 | him 44 years, which date is found |
| 17971 | on the monuments, his reign began at |
| 17972 | least as early as 569 B.C., and probably |
| 17973 | much earlier ; but these events, and |
| 17974 | the dates, are very uncertain. See |
| 17975 | Hist. Notice in App., and note *, eh. |
| 17976 | 169, and note*, oh. 177.— [G. W.j |
| 17977 | » Infra, iv. 159. |
| p. 258 | |
| 17978 | 250 EEVOLT HEADED BY AMASIS. Book II. |
| 17979 | Amasis was, called on him to come back with him to |
| 17980 | the king, whereupon Amasis broke a coarse jest, and |
| 17981 | said, " Prythee take that back to thy master." When |
| 17982 | the envoy, not\\athstanding this reply, persisted in his |
| 17983 | request, exhorting Amasis to obey the summons of the |
| 17984 | king, he made answer, " that this was exactly what he |
| 17985 | had long been intending to do ; Apries would have no |
| 17986 | reason to complain of him on the score of delay ; he would |
| 17987 | shortly come himself to the king, and bring others with |
| 17988 | him."^ Patarbemis, upon this, comprehending the in- |
| 17989 | tention of Amasis, partlv from his replies, and partly |
| 17990 | from the prejDarations which he saw in progress, de- |
| 17991 | parted hastily, wishing to inform the king with all |
| 17992 | speed of what was going on. Apries, however, when |
| 17993 | he saw him approaching without Amasis, fell into a |
| 17994 | paroxysm of rage ; and not giving himself time for re- |
| 17995 | flection, commanded the nose and ears of Patarbemis |
| 17996 | to be cut off. Then the rest of the Egyptians, who had |
| 17997 | hitherto espoused the cause of Apries, when they saw a |
| 17998 | man of such note among them so shamefully outraged, |
| 17999 | without a moment's hesitation went over to the rebels, |
| 18000 | and put themselves at the disposal of Amasis. |
| 18001 | 163. Apries, informed of this new calamity, armed |
| 18002 | his mercenaries, and led them against the Egyptians : |
| 18003 | this was a body of Carians and lonians,^ numbering |
| 18004 | thirty thousand men, which was now with him at |
| 18005 | Sais,^ where his palace stood — a vast building, well |
| 18006 | * Compare the answer of Cyrus to ' liim, it is evident that the former |
| 18007 | Astyages (i. 127), which shows that ' was alone employed against Cyreno, |
| 18008 | this was a commonplace — the answer |
| 18009 | supposed to be proper for a powerful |
| 18010 | rebel. |
| 18011 | * The Greek troops continued in the |
| 18012 | pay of the king. The state of Egypt, |
| 18013 | and the dethronement of Apries, are |
| 18014 | predicted in Isa. xix. 2, and in Jer. |
| 18015 | xliv. 30. (See Hist. Notice, in App, |
| 18016 | either out of fear of sending Greeks |
| 18017 | there, or from their unwillingness to |
| 18018 | fight against a Greek colony. Amasis |
| 18019 | afterwards (infra, ch. 181) wisely |
| 18020 | courted the friendship of the Greeks |
| 18021 | of Cyrene. — [G. W.] |
| 18022 | ^ Manetho agreed with Herodotus |
| 18023 | in representing this dynasty (his 26th) |
| 18024 | CH. viii. §37.) As Amasis put himself | as Saite. (Fr. 66 and 67.) That the |
| 18025 | at the head of the Egyptian army, j family of Psammetichus belonged to |
| 18026 | and Apries had the Greeks with | Sais had been already indicated, by |
| p. 259 | |
| 18027 | Chap. 163, 164. THE SEVEN CLASSES OF THE EGYPTIANS. 251 |
| 18028 | wortliy of notice. The army of Apries marclied out to |
| 18029 | attack tlie host of the Egyptians, while that of Amasis |
| 18030 | ■went forth to fight the strangers ; and now both armies |
| 18031 | drew near the city of Momemphis,* and prepared for the |
| 18032 | coming fight. |
| 18033 | 164. The Egyptians are divided into seven distinct |
| 18034 | classes ^ — these are, the priests, the warriors, the cow- |
| 18035 | what is related of the Saites bringing |
| 18036 | Psammeticlius back from Syria (supra, |
| 18037 | ch. 152). |
| 18038 | ■* Momemphis was on the edge of |
| 18039 | fhe desert, near the mouth of the |
| 18040 | Lycus canal, some way below the |
| 18041 | modern village of Algam. — [G. W.j |
| 18042 | * These classes, rather than castes, |
| 18043 | were, according to Herodotus — 1. The |
| 18044 | sacerdotal. 2. The military. 3. The |
| 18045 | herdmen. 4. Swineherds. 5. Shop- |
| 18046 | keepers. 6. Interpreters. 7. Boat- |
| 18047 | men. Diodprus (i. 28) says that, |
| 18048 | like the Athenians, who derived this |
| 18049 | institution from Egypt, they were |
| 18050 | distributed into three classes : 1. The |
| 18051 | priests. 2. The peasants, from whom |
| 18052 | the soldiers were levied. 3. The ar- |
| 18053 | tificers. But in another place (i. 74) |
| 18054 | he extends the number to five, and |
| 18055 | reckons the ] astors, husbandmen and |
| 18056 | artificers, independent of the soldiers |
| 18057 | and priests. Strabo (xvii. p. 541) |
| 18058 | limits them to three — the soldiers, |
| 18059 | husbandmen, and priests ; and Plato |
| 18060 | (Timaeus) divides them into six bo- |
| 18061 | dies— the priests, artificers, shepherds, |
| 18062 | huntsmen, husbandmen, and soldiers. |
| 18063 | The sailors emjjloyed in ships of war |
| 18064 | appear to have been of the military |
| 18065 | class, as Herodotus (Book ix. ch. 32) |
| 18066 | shows them to have been of the Cala- |
| 18067 | siries and Hemiotybies. |
| 18068 | From these difierent statements we |
| 18069 | may conclude that the Egyptians |
| 18070 | were divided into five general classes, |
| 18071 | which were subdivided again, as is |
| 18072 | the case in India even with the castes. |
| 18073 | The 1st was the sacerdotal order ; the |
| 18074 | 2nd the soldiers and sailors ; the 3rd |
| 18075 | peasants, or the agricultural class ; |
| 18076 | the 4th the tradesmen : and the 5th |
| 18077 | the plebs, or common people. The |
| 18078 | 1st consisted of priests of various |
| 18079 | grades, from the pontiffs to the infe- |
| 18080 | rior functionaries employed in the |
| 18081 | temples ; the 2nd of soldiers and |
| 18082 | sailors of the navy ; the 3rd was sub- |
| 18083 | divided into fanners, gardeners, hunts- |
| 18084 | men, Nile-boatmen, and others ; the |
| 18085 | 4th was composed of artificers, and |
| 18086 | various tradesmen, notaries, musicians |
| 18087 | (not sacred), builders, sculptors, and |
| 18088 | potters ; and the 5th of pastors, fowl- |
| 18089 | ers, fishermen, labourers, and poor |
| 18090 | people. Some of these again were |
| 18091 | subdivided, as pastors into oxherds, |
| 18092 | shepherds, goatherds, and swineherds ; |
| 18093 | which last, according to Herodotus, |
| 18094 | were the lowest grade, even of the |
| 18095 | whole community, since no one would |
| 18096 | establish any family tie with them, |
| 18097 | and they could not enter a temple |
| 18098 | witliout a previous purification ; |
| 18099 | which resembles the treatment of |
| 18100 | swineherds in India at this day. |
| 18101 | Though Diodorus places the sol- |
| 18102 | diers with the husbandmen, it is more |
| 18103 | probable that they constituted a class |
| 18104 | by themselves ; not that their follow- |
| 18105 | ing agricultural j^ursuits degraded |
| 18106 | them ; for even a Hindoo soldier in |
| 18107 | like manner may cultivate land with- |
| 18108 | out fear of reproach. According to |
| 18109 | Megasthenes the Indians were divided |
| 18110 | into seven castes ; they have now |
| 18111 | four. (See Strabo, XV. p. 1118.) He- |
| 18112 | rodotus says each person followed the |
| 18113 | profession or occupation of his father, |
| 18114 | as with the Lacedsemonians (Book vi. |
| 18115 | ch. 60) ; but it seems that, though |
| 18116 | frequently of the same class and oc- |
| 18117 | cupation as his father, this was not |
| 18118 | compulsory. P'acli person belonged |
| 18119 | to one of the classes, and it is not |
| 18120 | probable that he woul3 follow an |
| 18121 | inferior occupation, or enter a lower |
| 18122 | class than his father, unless circum- |
| 18123 | stances rendered it neccssar}' : for the |
| 18124 | sculptures show that sons sometimes |
| p. 260 | |
| 18125 | 252 |
| 18126 | THE CANTONS OR |
| 18127 | Book II. |
| 18128 | herds, the swineherds, the tradesmen, the interpreters, |
| 18129 | and the boatmen. Their titles indicate their occupa- |
| 18130 | tions. ' The warriors consist of Hermotybians and |
| 18131 | Calasirians,^ who come from different cantons,' the |
| 18132 | whole of Egypt being parcelled out into districts bear- |
| 18133 | ing this name. |
| 18134 | 165. The following cantons furnish the Hermoty- |
| 18135 | bians— the cantons of Busiris, Sa'is, Chemmis, Papremis, |
| 18136 | did so, and priests, soldiers, and |
| 18137 | others holding civil offices are found |
| 18138 | among the members of the same |
| 18139 | family. The Egyptians had not, |
| 18140 | therefore, real castes, hut classes, as |
| 18141 | has already been shown by Mr. Birch |
| 18142 | and M. Ampere. Proofs of this, from |
| 18143 | the families of men in trade, and |
| 18144 | others, are not so readily established, |
| 18145 | as few monuments remain, except of |
| 18146 | priests and military men — the aris- |
| 18147 | tocracy of Egypt. |
| 18148 | Quarters of a town were appropri- |
| 18149 | ated to certain trades (as now at |
| 18150 | Cairo) ; hence " the leather-cutters of |
| 18151 | the Memnonia," at Thebes, in the |
| 18152 | papyrus of Anastasy. (Dr. Young's |
| 18153 | Discov. in Eg. Lit., p. G6.) The in- |
| 18154 | terpreters, Herodotus says (ch. 154), |
| 18155 | were the descendants of those Egyp- |
| 18156 | tians who had been taught Greek by |
| 18157 | the lonians in the service of Psam- |
| 18158 | metichus, which woidd certainly ap- |
| 18159 | ply rather to a class than to a caste, |
| 18160 | and his statement (whether true or |
| 18161 | not) respecting the low origin of |
| 18162 | Amasis shows te had not in view |
| 18163 | castes, but classes.— '"G. W." |
| 18164 | * This name (as Mr. Birch has |
| 18165 | shown)isKlashr, followed by the figure |
| 18166 | of an archer, or the representation of |
| 18167 | an Egyptian soldier ; bowmen being |
| 18168 | the chief corps of the army. The |
| 18169 | Calasiries were probably all, or |
| 18170 | mostly archers. See note on Book ix. |
| 18171 | ch. 32.— [G. W.] |
| 18172 | ^ The number of the nomes or |
| 18173 | cantons varied at different times. |
| 18174 | Herodotus mentions only 18 ; but in |
| 18175 | the time of Sesostris there were 36, |
| 18176 | and the same under the Ptolemies |
| 18177 | and Cajsars ; 10, according to Strabo, |
| 18178 | being assigned to the Thebaid, 10 to |
| 18179 | the Delta, and 16 to the intermediate |
| 18180 | province. This triple division varied |
| 18181 | at another time, and consisted of |
| 18182 | Upper and Lower Egypt, with an |
| 18183 | intervening province containing 7 |
| 18184 | nomes, and hence called Heptanomis. |
| 18185 | In after times an eighth, the Arsi- |
| 18186 | no'ite, was added to Heptanomis ; and |
| 18187 | the divisions were, 1. Upper Egy]>t, |
| 18188 | to the Thebaica-phylake' ((j)v\aKT]) |
| 18189 | now Daroot e' Shereef. 2. Heptano- |
| 18190 | mis, to the fork of the Delta. And 3. |
| 18191 | Lower Egypt, containing the northern |
| 18192 | part to the sea. Pliny gives 44 |
| 18193 | nomes to all Egypt, some under other |
| 18194 | than the usual names. Ptolemj' |
| 18195 | mentions 24 in the Delta, or Lower |
| 18196 | Egj'pt, which under the later Roman |
| 18197 | emperors was divided into four dis- |
| 18198 | tricts— Augiistamnica prima and se- |
| 18199 | cunda, J^gyptus 1* and 2"^% still |
| 18200 | containing the same nomes ; and in |
| 18201 | the time of Arcadius, the son of The- |
| 18202 | odosius the Great, Heptanomis re- |
| 18203 | ceived the name of Arcadia. The |
| 18204 | Thebaid was made into two parts, |
| 18205 | LTpper and Lower, the line of separa- |
| 18206 | tion being Panopolis and Ptolema'is- |
| 18207 | Hermii ; and the nomes were then |
| 18208 | increased to 58, of which the Delta |
| 18209 | contained 35, including the Oasis of |
| 18210 | Ammon. These nomes were as fol- |
| 18211 | lows : — |
| p. 261 | |
| 18212 | Chap. 165. |
| 18213 | KOMES OF EGYPT. |
| 18214 | 253 |
| 18215 | The Xomes of the Delta, or Lower Egypt, beginning from the East, were : |
| 18216 | J'ro- |
| 18217 | viDce. |
| 18218 | Nome. |
| 18219 | Chief City. |
| 18220 | Modern Name. |
| 18221 | =3 |
| 18222 | C |
| 18223 | 1. Heliopolis |
| 18224 | 2. Bubastites |
| 18225 | 3. Anthribites (with thel |
| 18226 | Isle of Myecphoris J |
| 18227 | 4. Heroopolites |
| 18228 | 5. Phagroriopolites . . . . |
| 18229 | 6. Arabia |
| 18230 | 7. Sethroites |
| 18231 | 8. Tanites |
| 18232 | 9. Pharbathites |
| 18233 | 10. Leontopolites |
| 18234 | 11. Xeout (N'eut) |
| 18235 | 12. Mendesius |
| 18236 | 13. I'apremites |
| 18237 | 14. Busirites |
| 18238 | 15. Sebennytes |
| 18239 | 16. Anysis |
| 18240 | 17. Sebennytes Inferior |
| 18241 | 18. Elearchia |
| 18242 | Heliopolis |
| 18243 | Bubastis |
| 18244 | Athribis |
| 18245 | Matareeh. |
| 18246 | Tel Basta. |
| 18247 | U |
| 18248 | ^ |
| 18249 | Hero |
| 18250 | Abookeshayd (?) |
| 18251 | .Shebh Hanaydik (.'; |
| 18252 | -•J |
| 18253 | Phagroriopolis |
| 18254 | 1 |
| 18255 | iSethrum, or \ |
| 18256 | I Heracleupolis Parva j ' * |
| 18257 | Tanis |
| 18258 | Pharbaeth'is |
| 18259 | Leontopolis |
| 18260 | Panephysis |
| 18261 | Tel Shareeg (?) |
| 18262 | San. |
| 18263 | Harbayt, or Heurbayt, |
| 18264 | Tanbool (?) |
| 18265 | Alenzaleh. |
| 18266 | Ashmoon (?) |
| 18267 | ^ |
| 18268 | Abooseer (?) |
| 18269 | Semenhood. |
| 18270 | Bebaj't. |
| 18271 | Sebennytus |
| 18272 | Anysis, or Iseum (?) . . . . |
| 18273 | 19. The Isle of Natho . . .. |
| 18274 | 20. Xoites |
| 18275 | 21. Onuphites |
| 18276 | 22. Nitrites (Nitriotis) |
| 18277 | 23. Prosopites |
| 18278 | 24. Phthemphites |
| 18279 | 25. Saites |
| 18280 | 26. Phtheneotes |
| 18281 | 27. Cabasites |
| 18282 | 28. Xaucratites |
| 18283 | 29. Metelites |
| 18284 | 30. Alesandrinonim .. .. |
| 18285 | 31. Hermopolites |
| 18286 | 32. Menelaites |
| 18287 | 33. Letopolites |
| 18288 | 34. Marea, Libya |
| 18289 | 35. Hammoniacus . . . . |
| 18290 | Xatho |
| 18291 | Sahragt. |
| 18292 | Sakha. |
| 18293 | Banoob (?) |
| 18294 | Zakeek (?) |
| 18295 | Menoof (?) or Ibsh^deh (?) |
| 18296 | Shooni (?) |
| 18297 | Sa-el-Hagar. |
| 18298 | ^cg |
| 18299 | Xois |
| 18300 | Onuphis |
| 18301 | Nitria |
| 18302 | Prosopis, or Nicin. |
| 18303 | Tava |
| 18304 | Sais (Ssa) |
| 18305 | Butos |
| 18306 | g |
| 18307 | *C |
| 18308 | Ph |
| 18309 | p. |
| 18310 | { Alexandria, ) |
| 18311 | IRacotis 5 |
| 18312 | Hermopolis Parva . . . . |
| 18313 | lilenelais . . • . • • . * |
| 18314 | Iskendereeh. |
| 18315 | Damanhoor. |
| 18316 | ( Letopolis 1 |
| 18317 | \ Latona; Civitas > " " |
| 18318 | Weseem (?) |
| 18319 | El Havt (?) |
| 18320 | Hamraonis |
| 18321 | Seewah (Siwah). |
| 18322 | (For the Delta, its towns, and branches of the Nile, see Egypt and Thebes, vol. i. p. 399 to 455.) |
| 18323 | The Nomes of Upper Egypt, or the Thebaid, and of Heptanomis, beginning from the North, were : |
| 18324 | Pro- |
| 18325 | vince. |
| 18326 | S ,' |
| 18327 | p. |
| 18328 | to \ = |
| 18329 | Nome. |
| 18330 | Memphites . . |
| 18331 | Aphroditopolites |
| 18332 | 1, |
| 18333 | 2. |
| 18334 | 3. Arsinoites |
| 18335 | Chief aty. |
| 18336 | Heracleopolites |
| 18337 | Oxyrhinchites |
| 18338 | Cynopolites . . |
| 18339 | Hermopolites. . |
| 18340 | Antinoites ("in which > |
| 18341 | are includL-d the two > |
| 18342 | Oases." Ptol. 4, 5.) ) |
| 18343 | Lycopolites |
| 18344 | Hypselites |
| 18345 | Anlaeopolites |
| 18346 | Aphroditopolites . . |
| 18347 | Panopolites |
| 18348 | Memphis . . . . |
| 18349 | Aphroditopolis |
| 18350 | i Crocodilopolis, or ) |
| 18351 | ( Arsinoe j |
| 18352 | Heracleopolis |
| 18353 | Oxyrhinchus . . |
| 18354 | Cynopolis |
| 18355 | Hermopolis Magna |
| 18356 | Antinoe |
| 18357 | 14. Thinites |
| 18358 | 15. |
| 18359 | 16. |
| 18360 | 17. |
| 18361 | 18. |
| 18362 | 19. |
| 18363 | 20. |
| 18364 | I 21. |
| 18365 | ' 22. |
| 18366 | ' 23. |
| 18367 | DiospoUtes |
| 18368 | Tentyrites |
| 18369 | Coplites . . |
| 18370 | Thebarmn |
| 18371 | Pathyrites |
| 18372 | Hermonthites. . |
| 18373 | Latopolites |
| 18374 | ApoUinopolites |
| 18375 | Onibites . . . . |
| 18376 | {; |
| 18377 | Lycopolis |
| 18378 | Hypsclis |
| 18379 | Antajopolis |
| 18380 | Aphroditopolis |
| 18381 | Panopolis |
| 18382 | Tkis.nearAbydiiS:" Sifter-] |
| 18383 | wards the capital was f |
| 18384 | Ptolemais-Hermii, ' |
| 18385 | Diospolis Parva |
| 18386 | Tentyris, Tentyra |
| 18387 | Coptos |
| 18388 | ( Thebse, Diospolis Magna, \ |
| 18389 | X " Egyptian Thebes.' ' ) |
| 18390 | I The Libyan, or Western \ |
| 18391 | \ part of Thebes. 5 |
| 18392 | Hermonthis |
| 18393 | Latopolis |
| 18394 | ApolUnopolis Magna . . |
| 18395 | Ombos |
| 18396 | Modern Name. |
| 18397 | Mitraheuuy. |
| 18398 | Atfeeh. |
| 18399 | Mede&et el Fy(5om. |
| 18400 | Andsieh. |
| 18401 | Behnesa. |
| 18402 | El Kays. |
| 18403 | Oshmoonayn. |
| 18404 | I Shekh Ab^eh, or |
| 18405 | \ Insine. |
| 18406 | Sioot. |
| 18407 | Shodb. |
| 18408 | Gow (Kow) el Kebe^r. |
| 18409 | Itfoo. |
| 18410 | Ekhmim, or Akhmeem. |
| 18411 | Birbeh (?) or El Beerheh (?) |
| 18412 | Mensheeh. |
| 18413 | How. |
| 18414 | Dendera. |
| 18415 | Koft, or Kebt, |
| 18416 | Karnak, and |
| 18417 | Luxor. |
| 18418 | Kooma.^ |
| 18419 | Erm^nt. |
| 18420 | Esnd. |
| 18421 | Edfoo. |
| 18422 | K6m-0mbo. |
| p. 262 | |
| 18423 | 254 |
| 18424 | THE HERMOTYBIANS AND CALASIRIANS. |
| 18425 | Cook II. |
| 18426 | that of the island called Pros623itis,^ and half of Natho.^ |
| 18427 | They number, when most numerous, a hundred and |
| 18428 | sixty thousand. None of them ever practises a trade, |
| 18429 | but all are given wholly to war. |
| 18430 | 166. The cantons of the Calasirians are different — |
| 18431 | they include the following : — the cantons of Thebes,^ Bu- |
| 18432 | bastis,^ Aphthis,^ Tanis,* Mendes, Sebennytus, Athribis, |
| 18433 | Pharbasthus, Thmuis, Onuphis, Anysis, and Myec^^horis^ |
| 18434 | Each Nome was governed by a |
| 18435 | Nomarch, to whom was entrusted |
| 18436 | the levying of taxes, and various |
| 18437 | duties connected with the administra- |
| 18438 | tion of the province. See Mr. Harris's |
| 18439 | Standards of the Nomes and To- |
| 18440 | parchies of Egypt. His discovery |
| 18441 | cannot be too highlj^ appreciated. |
| 18442 | He has also those of Ethiopia, which |
| 18443 | we mav hope will be published. — |
| 18444 | [G. AV.] |
| 18445 | ^ Of Busiris, see note ^ on cb. 61, |
| 18446 | and preceding note. Tlie Busirite |
| 18447 | nome was next to the Sebennytic, |
| 18448 | and to the south of it. Of Sais, |
| 18449 | see note * on ch. 62, and note * on |
| 18450 | ch. 170. Of Chemrais, see note * on |
| 18451 | ch. 91 ; it was in Upper Egypt. Of |
| 18452 | Tapremis, see note * on ch. 63. Of |
| 18453 | Prosopitis, see note ^ on ch. 41. — |
| 18454 | [G. W.] |
| 18455 | ^ This was the tract between the |
| 18456 | Sebennytic, or Busiritic bi'anch, and |
| 18457 | the Thermuthiac, which ran to the |
| 18458 | east of Xois.— [G. W.j |
| 18459 | * It is singular that only two |
| 18460 | nomes of U]iper Egjqjt are here men- |
| 18461 | tioned, Thebes and Chemmis. But |
| 18462 | as Herodotus has mentioned so few of |
| 18463 | the nomes, it is more probable that |
| 18464 | he has overlooked some, than that no |
| 18465 | soldiers belonged to any in Up};er |
| 18466 | Egypt but the Theban and Chem- |
| 18467 | mite. The largest force was neces- |
| 18468 | sarily quartered in these northern |
| 18469 | nomes, being wanted for defence |
| 18470 | against the enemy from the eastward : |
| 18471 | but it does not follow that they were |
| 18472 | nearly all raised there. Besides the |
| 18473 | nome of Thebes on the east, was the |
| 18474 | Path}Titic on the opposite bank, |
| 18475 | which contained " the Libyan suburb" |
| 18476 | of Thebes, or the " Memnoneia." (See |
| 18477 | Dr. Young, Disc. Eg. Lit., p. 66.) |
| 18478 | It was called Pa-Athor, " belonging |
| 18479 | to Athor" (Venus), who presided over |
| 18480 | the West. The Theban and Chem- |
| 18481 | mite may have been the two that |
| 18482 | furnished the troops of the Ethiopian |
| 18483 | frontier, and of the garrisons in Upper |
| 18484 | Eg}-pt. According to Herodotus the |
| 18485 | whole force was 410,000 men. Dio- |
| 18486 | dorus (i. 54) makes it amouut, in the |
| 18487 | time of Sesostris, to 600,000 foot, |
| 18488 | 24,000 horse, and 27 chariots ; but |
| 18489 | he probably included in these the |
| 18490 | auxiliaries. — 'Q. W.j |
| 18491 | ^ See notes on chs. 59, 60, 138. |
| 18492 | ^ The position of tliis nome is un- |
| 18493 | certain.— '^G. W.] |
| 18494 | * The city of Tanis is the Zoan of |
| 18495 | sacred Scripture, and the modern San |
| 18496 | or Zan, — the Gami (or Djami) or |
| 18497 | Athennes, of the Copts. It has ex- |
| 18498 | tensive mounds, and remains of a |
| 18499 | small temple of the time of Remeses |
| 18500 | the Great, remarkable from its having |
| 18501 | at least ten, if not twelve obelisks. |
| 18502 | The name of Osirtasen III. found |
| 18503 | there (see Burton's Excerpta, pi. 38, |
| 18504 | 39, 40) shows that an older temple |
| 18505 | once stood at Tanis : and the great |
| 18506 | antiquity of Tanis is also shown by |
| 18507 | its existing in the time of Abraliam, |
| 18508 | and being founded seven years after |
| 18509 | Hebron, where Sarah died (Gen. xxiii. |
| 18510 | 2; Xum. xiii. 22). In "the field of |
| 18511 | Zoan" the miracles of Moses are said |
| 18512 | to have been performed (Ps. Ixxviii. |
| 18513 | 12) ; and its present desolation shows |
| 18514 | how completely the prophecies against |
| 18515 | it have been fulfilled. (Ezek. xxs. |
| 18516 | 14 ; Isa. xix. 11 ; xxx. 4.)— [G. W.] |
| 18517 | * See note' on Mendes, ch. 42. Se- |
| 18518 | bennytus, the modern Semenood, has |
| 18519 | no remains, except a few sculptured |
| 18520 | stones, on one of which are the name |
| 18521 | and figure of the God. (See note ' on |
| p. 263 | |
| 18522 | Chap. 166, 167. EGYPTIAN CONTEMPT FOR TRADE |
| 18523 | ioo |
| 18524 | — this last canton consists of an island whicli lies over |
| 18525 | against the town of Bubastis. The Calasirians, when at |
| 18526 | their greatest number, have amounted to two hundred |
| 18527 | and fifty thousand. Like the Hermotybians they are |
| 18528 | forbidden to pursue any trade, and devote themselves |
| 18529 | entirely to warlike exercises, the son following the |
| 18530 | father's calling. |
| 18531 | 167. Whether the Greeks borrowed from the Egyp- |
| 18532 | tians their notions about trade, like so many others, I |
| 18533 | cannot say for certain.® I have remarked that the |
| 18534 | Thracians, the Scyths, the Persians, the Lydians, and |
| 18535 | almost all other barbarians, hold the citizens who prac- |
| 18536 | tise trades, and their children, in less repute than the |
| 18537 | rest, while they esteem as noble those who keep aloof |
| 18538 | from handicrafts, and especially honour such as are given |
| 18539 | wdiolly to war. These ideas prevail throughout the |
| 18540 | whole of Greece, particularly among the Lacedaemonians. |
| 18541 | Corinth is the place w^here mechanics are least despised.^ |
| 18542 | ch. 43.) They are of the late time |
| 18543 | of Alexander, the son of Alexander |
| 18544 | the Great, in whose name Ptolemy |
| 18545 | Lagus was then Governor of Egypt. |
| 18546 | Semenood stands on the west bank |
| 18547 | of the modern Damietta branch. |
| 18548 | Athribis, now Benha-el-Assal, from |
| 18549 | its " honey," is marked by its |
| 18550 | mounds, still called AtreeT). The |
| 18551 | town was nearly a mile in length, |
| 18552 | E. and W., and three-fourths of a |
| 18553 | mile N. and S. It is on the E. bank |
| 18554 | of the old Sebennytic (and modem |
| 18555 | Damietta) branch. Pharbaethus, now |
| 18556 | Harhayt (the same as the old name |
| 18557 | without the article P.), is between |
| 18558 | 12 and 13 miles to the N. of Bu- |
| 18559 | bastis. It stood on the Tanitic |
| 18560 | branch. The site of Thmuis is |
| 18561 | marked by a gi-anite monolith at |
| 18562 | Tel-Etmai, bearing the name of |
| 18563 | Amasis. Its Coptic name is Thmoui. |
| 18564 | It stands a short distance to the south |
| 18565 | of the Mendesian branch. Onuphis |
| 18566 | is supposed to have stood in the |
| 18567 | Sebennytic branch, a little below its |
| 18568 | union -^ith the Phatmetic channel, |
| 18569 | and a little to the W. of Anysis, |
| 18570 | jjrobably at the modern Banoob. |
| 18571 | Anysis may be Iseiim, now Behayt |
| 18572 | (see note * on ch. 61), about 6 miles |
| 18573 | below Sebennytus ; and the name is |
| 18574 | probably ei-ii-isi, " house (city) of |
| 18575 | Isis." Myecphoris was an island |
| 18576 | between the Tanitic and Pelusiac |
| 18577 | branches. See M. Eg. W., vol. i. |
| 18578 | pp. 399-452.— [G.W.] |
| 18579 | * These notions were not necessarily |
| 18580 | borrowed by one people from another, |
| 18581 | being very general in a certain state |
| 18582 | of society. — [G. W.j |
| 18583 | '' It is curious to find this trait in |
| 18584 | a Dorian state. But the situation of |
| 18585 | Corinth led so naturally to extensive |
| 18586 | trade, and thence to that splendour |
| 18587 | and magnificence of living by which |
| 18588 | the useful and ornamental arts are |
| 18589 | most encouraged, that in s}»ite of |
| 18590 | Dorian pride and exclusiveness, the |
| 18591 | mechanic's occupation came soon to be |
| 18592 | regarded with a good deal of favour. |
| 18593 | As early as the time of Cypselus ela- |
| 18594 | borate works of art proceeded from |
| 18595 | the Corinthian workshops, as the |
| 18596 | golden statue of Jupiter at Olympia |
| 18597 | XPaus. V. ii. § 4), and the plane-tree |
| p. 264 | |
| 18598 | 256 |
| 18599 | PRIVILEGES OF THE AVARRIORS. |
| 18600 | Book 1 1. |
| 18601 | 168. The warrior class in Egypt had certain special |
| 18602 | privileges in which none of the rest of the Egyptians |
| 18603 | participated except the priests. In the first place each |
| 18604 | man had twelve arurce ^ of land assigned him free from |
| 18605 | tax. (The arura is a square of a hundred Egyptian |
| 18606 | cubits, the Egyptian cubit being of the same length as |
| 18607 | the Samian.^) All the warriors enjoyed this privilege |
| 18608 | together ; but there were other advantages which came |
| 18609 | to each in rotation, the same man never obtaining them |
| 18610 | twice. A thousand Calasirians, and the same number |
| 18611 | of Hermotybians, formed in alternate years the body- |
| 18612 | guard of the king ; and during their year of service |
| 18613 | these persons, besides their arurce, received a daily por- |
| 18614 | tion of meat and drink, consisting of five pounds of |
| 18615 | baked bread, two pounds of beef, and four cups of wine.^ |
| 18616 | 169. When Apries, at the head of his mercenaries,^ |
| 18617 | in the Corintliiau treasury at Del]>lii |
| 18618 | (Pint. vSept. Sap, 21). Afterwards, |
| 18619 | under Periander, "art was still more |
| 18620 | encouraged, and the offerings of the |
| 18621 | Cypselida; at various shrines were |
| 18622 | such as to bear a comparison with |
| 18623 | the works of Polycrates at Samos and |
| 18624 | of the Pisistratidaj at Athens. (Ar. |
| 18625 | Pol. V. 9. Comp, Eph. Fr. 106, and |
| 18626 | Thcophr. ap. Phot, in "K.v^ekiba)v ava- |
| 18627 | 6r]fia.) A little later a Corinthian |
| 18628 | architect rebuilt the temple at Del]ihi. |
| 18629 | (Pausan. X. v, ad fin.) Finally, |
| 18630 | Corinth became noted for the peculiar |
| 18631 | composition of its bronze, which was |
| 18632 | regarded as better suited for works of |
| 18633 | art than any other, and which un- |
| 18634 | der the name of ^s Corinthiacum |
| 18635 | was celebrated throughout the world. |
| 18636 | (Plin. H. N. xxxiv. 3.) |
| 18637 | " The arura, according to Herodotus |
| 18638 | and Horapollo, was a square of 100 |
| 18639 | cubits, and contained 10,000 square |
| 18640 | cubits, about 22,500 square feet. It |
| 18641 | was a little more than three-fourths of |
| 18642 | an English acre ; and was only a land |
| 18643 | measure. The 12 arura? were about |
| 18644 | nine English acres. Diodorus says the |
| 18645 | land of Egypt had been divided by |
| 18646 | Sesostris into three parts, one of which |
| 18647 | was assigned to the military class, in |
| 18648 | order that they might be more ready |
| 18649 | to undergo the hazards of war, when |
| 18650 | they had property in the country for |
| 18651 | which they fought. This answered |
| 18652 | well at first, but in time the soldiers |
| 18653 | became more ftmd of their property |
| 18654 | than of glory, and another occupation |
| 18655 | took away the taste for war, as was |
| 18656 | the case with the Janissaries of |
| 18657 | Turkey.— [G. \V.] |
| 18658 | ^ On the Egjqitian cubit, see App. |
| 18659 | CH. iv. ad fin. It seems to have been |
| 18660 | rather more than 20^ English inches. |
| 18661 | The ordinary Greek cubit was 18^ |
| 18662 | inches. |
| 18663 | ' These 2000 speannen, selected by |
| 18664 | turns from the army, as a body-guard, |
| 18665 | had dailj' rations of 5 mina? (6 lbs, |
| 18666 | 8 oz. 14 dwt. 6 grs.) of bread, 2 of |
| 18667 | beef (2 lbs. 8oz. 5 dwt. 17 gTs.), and |
| 18668 | 4 amsters, or a little more than 2 pints |
| 18669 | of wine, during their annual service. |
| 18670 | The mina seems to have been 16^ oz.; |
| 18671 | the talent about 80 lbs. Troy. The |
| 18672 | mina in hieroglyphics is called men, or |
| 18673 | mna ; in Cojitic, emna, or amna ; |
| 18674 | and the talent ginslidr. See P. A. |
| 18675 | Eg. W., vol. ii. p. 259.— [G. W.] |
| 18676 | * See note ^ on eh. 163, and note * |
| 18677 | on ch, 152. |
| p. 265 | |
| 18678 | Chap. 168, 109. |
| 18679 | BATTLE OF MOMEMPHIS. |
| 18680 | 257 |
| 18681 | and Amasis, in command of the whole native force of |
| 18682 | the Egyptians, encountered one another near the city of |
| 18683 | Momemphis/ an engagement presently took place. The |
| 18684 | foreign troops fought bravely, but were overpowered by |
| 18685 | numbers, in which they fell very far short of their ad- |
| 18686 | versaries. It is said that Apries believed that there was |
| 18687 | not a god who could cast him down from his eminence,* |
| 18688 | so firmly did he think that he had established himself in |
| 18689 | his kingdom. But at this time the battle went against |
| 18690 | him, and, his army being worsted, he fell into the |
| 18691 | enemy's hands, and was brought back a prisoner to |
| 18692 | Sai's,^ where he was lodged in what had been his own |
| 18693 | ' See note * on ch. 163. |
| 18694 | * This was proliably after having |
| 18695 | obliged the Babylonians to retire from |
| 18696 | before Jerusalem (see note * on ch. |
| 18697 | 161) ; for before the end of his reign |
| 18698 | the return of Nebuchadnezzar must |
| 18699 | have convinced him of his enemy's |
| 18700 | power. His pride is noticed in Ezek. |
| 18701 | xxix. 3, 8, 9. See note * on ch. 177. |
| 18702 | — [G. W.J |
| 18703 | * This was the royal residence of |
| 18704 | this 26th Sa'ite dynasty ; and the |
| 18705 | sacred temenos, or enclosure, contain- |
| 18706 | ing the temple and the lake, was sur- |
| 18707 | rounded by massive walls ofcrude brick. |
| 18708 | Some houses also stood within it, but |
| 18709 | the town itself was outside the walls. |
| 18710 | It was the custom of the Egyptians |
| 18711 | in the early periods to enclose their |
| 18712 | garrison towns with strong crude |
| 18713 | brick walls, generally about fifteen or |
| 18714 | twenty feet thick, and fifty feet high, |
| 18715 | crowned with battlements in the form |
| 18716 | of Egyptian shields, as a breastwork |
| 18717 | to the spacious rampart, which was |
| 18718 | ascended by broad inclined planes ; |
| 18719 | and the temples had iisually a separate |
| 18720 | enclosure within this general circuit. |
| 18721 | In their regttlar fortresses the outer |
| 18722 | walls Avere strengthened with square |
| 18723 | towers at intervals ; and parallel to the |
| 18724 | outer walls was a lower one of cir- |
| 18725 | cumvallation, distant about twelve to |
| 18726 | fifteen feet, the object of which was to |
| 18727 | prevent the enemy bringing his bat- |
| 18728 | tering rams, or other engines directly |
| 18729 | against the main walls, before he had |
| 18730 | VOL. TT. |
| 18731 | thrown down this advanced one ; |
| 18732 | which, when the place was surrounded |
| 18733 | by a ditch, stood in the middle of it, |
| 18734 | and served as a tenaille and ravelin. |
| 18735 | In larger fortifications the ditch had |
| 18736 | both a scar| 1 and counterscarp, and even |
| 18737 | a regular glacis (as at Semneh) ; and |
| 18738 | the low wall in the ditch was of stone, |
| 18739 | as at Contra Psellis. There was also a |
| 18740 | wall running out at right angles from |
| 18741 | (and of equal height with) the main |
| 18742 | wall, which crossed the ditch, for the |
| 18743 | purpose of raking it, by whatwe should |
| 18744 | call a " flanking fire." There was one |
| 18745 | main gate, between two towers ; and |
| 18746 | on the river side was a water-gate, |
| 18747 | protected by a covertwaj'. This was |
| 18748 | a regular system of fortification ; |
| 18749 | but after the accession of the 18th |
| 18750 | dynasty these fortresses appear to |
| 18751 | have been seldom built ; and the lofty |
| 18752 | stone towers of the PropyL-va being |
| 18753 | added to the temples became detached |
| 18754 | forts in each city, and an asylum for |
| 18755 | what was most precious, the sacred |
| 18756 | things, the persons of the king and |
| 18757 | priests, and the treasmy, as well as a |
| 18758 | protection against foreign and domes- |
| 18759 | tic foes. (See Aristot. Polit. iv. 11.) |
| 18760 | Even Thebes had no wall of circuit ; |
| 18761 | its hundred gates (a weakness in a |
| 18762 | wall) were those of the numerous |
| 18763 | courts of its temples ; and though the |
| 18764 | fortresses of Pelusium, and other |
| 18765 | strongholds of the frontiers, still con- |
| 18766 | tinued to be used, towns were seldom |
| 18767 | enclosed by a wall, except small ones |
| 18768 | s |
| p. 266 | |
| 18769 | 258 |
| 18770 | APRIES PUT TO DEATH — HIS TOMB. |
| 18771 | Book II. |
| 18772 | house, but was now the palace of Amasis. Amasis |
| 18773 | treated him with kindness,® and kept him in the palace |
| 18774 | for a while ; hut, finding his conduct blamed by the |
| 18775 | Egyptians, who charged him with acting unjustly in |
| 18776 | preserving a man who had shown himself so bitter an |
| 18777 | enemy both to them and him, he gave Apries over into |
| 18778 | the hands of his former subjects, to deal with as they |
| 18779 | chose. Then the Egyptians took him and strangled |
| 18780 | him, but having so done they buried him in the sepul- |
| 18781 | chre of his fathers. This tomb is in the temple of Mi- |
| 18782 | nerva, very near the sanctuary, on the left hand as one |
| 18783 | enters. The Saites buried all the kings who belonged |
| 18784 | to their canton inside this temple ; and thus it even con- |
| 18785 | tains the tomb of Amasis as well as that of Apries and |
| 18786 | his family. The latter is not so close to the sanctuary |
| 18787 | as the former, but still it is within the temple. It stands |
| 18788 | in the court, and is a spacious cloister, built of stone, |
| 18789 | and adorned with pillars carved so as to resemble palm- |
| 18790 | trees,^ and with other sumptuous ornaments. Within |
| 18791 | the cloister is a chamber with folding doors, behind |
| 18792 | which lies the sepulchre of the king. |
| 18793 | 170. Here too, in this same precinct of Minerva at |
| 18794 | Sa'is, is the burial-place of one whom I think it not |
| 18795 | on a pass, or in some commanding posi- |
| 18796 | tion. See a letter in the Transactions |
| 18797 | of the Society of Literature, vol. iv., |
| 18798 | new series, on the level of the Nile |
| 18799 | and Eoyptian fortification. — [G. W. j |
| 18800 | " It has been tliought that Apries |
| 18801 | may have continued to be nominally |
| 18802 | king, until Amasis had sufficiently |
| 18803 | established his. power and reconciled |
| 18804 | the Egyptians to his usurpation; and |
| 18805 | the latter years of his reign may have |
| 18806 | been included in " the 44 years of |
| 18807 | Amasis;" but the shortness of that |
| 18808 | period, and the Apis stelaj, disprove |
| 18809 | this.— [G. W.] |
| 18810 | ^ They are common in Egyptian |
| 18811 | temples, particularly in the Delta, |
| 18812 | where they are often of granite, as at |
| 18813 | Bubastis, and Tanis. The date-palm |
| 18814 | was not, as Dr. Pickeriuf;: thinks |
| 18815 | (p. 373), introduced into Egvpt in the |
| 18816 | Hyksos period, being represented on |
| 18817 | the tombs about the Pyramids of the |
| 18818 | 4th dynasty, where rafters for i-ooms |
| 18819 | are shown to have been already made |
| 18820 | of it, as at the present day. The palm- |
| 18821 | brancli was also tlie emblem of " years" |
| 18822 | in tlie oldest dates. Its not being in- |
| 18823 | dicated at periods of which no records |
| 18824 | remain is no proof of its not being |
| 18825 | known in Africa then, or long before ; |
| 18826 | negative inferences are very doiibtful ; |
| 18827 | and the evidence of a plant, or an |
| 18828 | animal, being foiuid in ancient Egj'pt |
| 18829 | is frequently derived from the acci- |
| 18830 | dental preservation of a single monu- |
| 18831 | ment. See Dr. Pickering's valuable |
| 18832 | work, the Races of Man, p. 3bG, seq. |
| 18833 | — [G. W.] |
| p. 267 | |
| 18834 | Chap. 170, 171. TEMPLE OF MINEEVA AT SATS. |
| 18835 | 259 |
| 18836 | right to mention in sucli a connexion.® It stands be- |
| 18837 | hind the temple, against the back-wall, which it entirely |
| 18838 | covers. There are also some large stone obelisks in |
| 18839 | the enclosure, and there is a lake ^ near them, adorned |
| 18840 | with an edging of stone. In form it is circular, and |
| 18841 | in size, as it seemed to me, about equal to the lake in |
| 18842 | Delos called " the Hoop." ^ |
| 18843 | 171. On this lake it is that the Egyptians represent |
| 18844 | by night his sufferings^ whose name I refrain from |
| 18845 | ^ This was Osiris, in honour of |
| 18846 | whom many ceremonies were per- |
| 18847 | formed at Sa'is, as in some other |
| 18848 | tows.— "G. W.] |
| 18849 | ' This lalve still remains at Sais, the |
| 18850 | modern Sa-el-Hagar, " Sa of the stone ;" |
| 18851 | the ancient name being Ssa. (See above, |
| 18852 | note ^ on ch. f>2.) The stone casing, |
| 18853 | which always lined the sides of these |
| 18854 | sacred lakes, (and which may be seen at |
| 18855 | Thebes, Hermonthes, and other placesj) |
| 18856 | is entirely gone ; but the extent of the |
| 18857 | main enclosure, which included within |
| 18858 | it the lake and temple, is very evi- |
| 18859 | dent ; and the massive crude brick |
| 18860 | walls are standing to a gi'eat heiglit. |
| 18861 | They are about seventy feet thick, |
| 18862 | and have layers of reeds and rushes at |
| 18863 | intervals, to serve as binders. The |
| 18864 | lake is still supplied by a canal from |
| 18865 | the river. Some ruined houses stand on |
| 18866 | a oToimd within the enclosure (at b d) |
| 18867 | near the lake, perhaps on the site of |
| 18868 | the palace, but of a much later time |
| 18869 | than Amasis. Many have been |
| 18870 | burnt. Their lofty walls in one part |
| 18871 | have obtained the name of p]l Kala, |
| 18872 | " the Citadel." It is difficult to ascer- |
| 18873 | tain the position of the temple of |
| 18874 | Minerva, as no ruins remain above |
| 18875 | ground, and you come to water a very |
| 18876 | short way below the surface, the Nile |
| 18877 | being of higher level than in former |
| 18878 | times. It stood within a " temenos,^^ |
| 18879 | or inner sacred enclosure near the |
| 18880 | lake, probably about e in the plan. |
| 18881 | At G may have been the royal tombs. |
| 18882 | Other tombs are in the mounds outside |
| 18883 | near the modern village, at p, and at Q |
| 18884 | beyond the canal to the westward, is |
| 18885 | another burial-] )lace, of private indi- |
| 18886 | viduals. Tlie lake is no longer, if it |
| 18887 | ever was, " round," but oblong, |
| 18888 | measuring nearly 2000 feet by 750. |
| 18889 | (See plan opposite.) — [G. W.j |
| 18890 | ^ The Delian lake Avas a famous |
| 18891 | feature of the great temjile or sacred |
| 18892 | enclosure of Apollo, which was the |
| 18893 | chief glory of that island. It is cele- |
| 18894 | brated by the ancient poet Theognis |
| 18895 | (B.C. 548) under the same appellation |
| 18896 | (rpoxoeidrjs) assigned it by Herodotus |
| 18897 | (Theogn. 7) ; and is twice mentioned, |
| 18898 | once as Tpoxofcraa (Hymn, ad Del. |
| 18899 | 261), and once as Trepirjyrjs (Hymn, ad |
| 18900 | Apoll. 59), by Callimachus. Apollo |
| 18901 | was supposed to have been born upon |
| 18902 | its banks. Larcher (note ad loc.) shows |
| 18903 | satisfactorily that it was situated |
| 18904 | within the sacred enclosure ; and de- |
| 18905 | cides with good reason in favour of its |
| 18906 | identity with the oval basin discovered |
| 18907 | by Messrs. Spon and Wheeler in 1675, |
| 18908 | of which an account is given in their |
| 18909 | Travels (vol, i. j). 85, French Tr.). |
| 18910 | The dimensions, Avhich do not seem |
| 18911 | to have been accurately measured, are |
| 18912 | reckoned at -300 paces (1500 feet) by |
| 18913 | 200 (1000 feet). It was thus an oval, |
| 18914 | like the lake at Sais, and not very |
| 18915 | different in its dimensions. |
| 18916 | ^ The Egyptians and the Syrians |
| 18917 | had each the myth of a dying God ; |
| 18918 | but they selected a different phasno- |
| 18919 | menon for its basis ; the foiTuer the |
| 18920 | Nile, the Syrians, the aspect of nature, |
| 18921 | or, as Macrobius shows (Saturn, i. 26), |
| 18922 | the sun ; which, during one part of the |
| 18923 | year manifesting its vivifying effects |
| 18924 | on the earth's surface, seemed to die |
| 18925 | on the approacli of winter ; and hence |
| 18926 | the notion of a God, who was both |
| 18927 | mortal and immortal |
| 18928 | of Greece we trace |
| 18929 | In the religion |
| 18930 | this |
| 18931 | s |
| 18932 | more |
| 18933 | o |
| 18934 | ol> |
| p. 268 | |
| 18935 | 260 |
| 18936 | THE EGYPTIAN MYSTEKIES. |
| 18937 | Book II. |
| 18938 | mentioning, and this representation they call their |
| 18939 | Mysteries."^ I know well the whole course of the pro- |
| 18940 | scurely ; but the Cretans believed |
| 18941 | that Jupiter had died, and even showed |
| 18942 | his tomb (Cic. Nat. Deor. 3), which |
| 18943 | made Callimachus, taking it literally, |
| 18944 | revile the Cretans " as liars :" |
| 18945 | KpTjre? aeX »//eu<rTat, KaX yap rd^ovt w ai'a, <reto |
| 18946 | Kpijres iTiK-n/jaai'TO, ctu 6' ov 6a^e5, ecrcri yap aiet, |
| 18947 | — an epithet quoted by St. Paul from |
| 18948 | Epimenides. (Epistle to Titus i. 12.) |
| 18949 | This belief was perhaps borrowed |
| 18950 | from Egypt, or from Syria ; for the |
| 18951 | Greeks derided the notion of a |
| 18952 | God dj'ing ; whence the remark ot |
| 18953 | Xen:)phanes, and others, to the Egyp- |
| 18954 | tians, " If ye believe them to be Gods, |
| 18955 | why do ye weep for them ; if they |
| 18956 | deserve your lamentations, why rei^ute |
| 18957 | them to "he Gods?" (Plut. de Is. 71.) |
| 18958 | They, on the other hand, committed |
| 18959 | the error of making men into Gods, |
| 18960 | and misunderstanding the allegorical |
| 18961 | views of the Egjq^tians and others, |
| 18962 | ran into the grossest en-ors respecting |
| 18963 | those deities they adopted. In Crete |
| 18964 | again, AjioUo's grief for Atymnius was |
| 18965 | commemorated " 'AttoXXcov 8aKpvx(oiv |
| 18966 | epareivov 'Aru^vtoi'," as that ot \ enus |
| 18967 | for Adonis in Syria, where the women |
| 18968 | sitting and Aveeping for Tammiiz |
| 18969 | (Tamooz), and the Jews weeping in |
| 18970 | the high places, when they fell off to |
| 18971 | the idolatry of their neighbours (Ezek. |
| 18972 | viii. 6, 14 ; Jerem. iii. 21), show the |
| 18973 | general custom of the Syrians. The |
| 18974 | wailing of the orthodox Jews, though |
| 18975 | not unusual, was of a different kind |
| 18976 | (Numb. XXV. 6), and was permitted |
| 18977 | except on festivals. (Joseph, xi. .55.) |
| 18978 | No. I. |
| 18979 | The lamentations of the EgyjJtians led |
| 18980 | to the remark of Apuleius : " ^Egyp- |
| 18981 | tiorum numinum fana plena plango- |
| 18982 | ribus, Gra?ca plerumque choreis." — |
| 18983 | [G. W.J |
| 18984 | ^ The sufferings and death of Osiris |
| 18985 | were the gi-eat mystery of the Egyp- |
| 18986 | tian religion ; and some traces of it |
| 18987 | are perceptible among other people of |
| 18988 | antiqi;ity. His being the divine good- |
| 18989 | ness, and the abstract idea of " good," |
| 18990 | his manifestation upon earth (like an |
| 18991 | Indian God), his death, and resurrec- |
| 18992 | tion, and his office as judge of the dead |
| 18993 | in a future state, look like the early |
| 18994 | revelation of a future manifestation of |
| 18995 | the deity converted into a mythological |
| 18996 | fable ; and ai-e not less remarkable than |
| 18997 | that notion of the Egj'ptians men- |
| 18998 | tioned by Plutarch (in A^it. Nunia^), |
| 18999 | that a woman miglit conceive by tlie |
| 19000 | approach of some divine spirit. As |
| 19001 | Osiris signified " good," Typhon (or |
| 19002 | rather Seth) was " evil ;" and the |
| 19003 | I'eraarkable notion of good and evil |
| 19004 | being brothers is abundantly illus- |
| 19005 | trated in the early sculptures ; nor |
| 19006 | was it till a change was made, appa- |
| 19007 | rently by foreigners from Asia, who |
| 19008 | held the doctrine of the tA\'o principles, |
| 19009 | that evil became confounded with sin, |
| 19010 | when the brother of Osiris no longer |
| 19011 | received divine honours, (See At. |
| 19012 | Eg. W., p. 124 to 127.) Till then |
| 19013 | sin, " the great serpent," or Aphophis |
| 19014 | " the giant," was distinct from Seth, |
| 19015 | who was a deity, and part of tlie |
| 19016 | divine system, which recalls those |
| 19017 | words of Isaiah (xlv. 7), |
| 19018 | " I form the light, and |
| 19019 | create darkness ; I make |
| 19020 | peace, and create evil ; |
| 19021 | I the Lord do these |
| 19022 | things ;" and in Amos |
| 19023 | (iii. 6), " shall there be |
| 19024 | evil in a citj', and the |
| 19025 | Lord hath not done it ?" |
| 19026 | In like manner the my- |
| 19027 | thology of India ad- |
| 19028 | mitted the creator and |
| 19029 | destroyer as characters |
| 19030 | of the divine Being. |
| 19031 | Seth was even called |
| p. 269 | |
| 19032 | Chap. 171. |
| 19033 | THE MYSTERIES OF CERES. |
| 19034 | 261 |
| 19035 | ceedings in these ceremonies,* but they shall not pass |
| 19036 | my lips. So too, with regard to the mysteries of Ceres, |
| 19037 | Baal-Seth, and made the God of |
| 19038 | their enemies also, which was from |
| 19039 | war being an evil, as peace in |
| 19040 | the above verse is equivalent to |
| 19041 | good ; and in (Baal) Zephon we |
| 19042 | may perhaps trace the name of |
| 19043 | Typhon. In the same sense the |
| 19044 | Egyptians represented Scth teach- |
| 19045 | ing a Pharaoh the use of the bow, |
| 19046 | and other weapons of destruction, |
| 19047 | which Avere producers of evil. |
| 19048 | Sin, the giant Aplioj^his, as " the |
| 19049 | great serpent," often with a hu- |
| 19050 | man head, being represented |
| 19051 | pierced by the spear of Horus, |
| 19052 | or of Atmoo (as Re the " Sun"), |
| 19053 | recalls the war of the gods and |
| 19054 | giants, and the fable of Apollo (or |
| 19055 | .^ the sun) and the Python. |
| 19056 | >^\ ^\^ CoMj), the serpent slain liy |
| 19057 | ^ ^LL Vishnoo. (See note on Book |
| 19058 | iv. ch. 191.) Osiris may |
| 19059 | be said I'ather to have pre- |
| 19060 | l^K sided over the judgment of |
| 19061 | Jl g the dead, than to have |
| 19062 | 2# I judged them ; he gave ad- |
| 19063 | mission, to those who were |
| 19064 | - _ found worthy, to the abode |
| 19065 | " " of happiness. He was not |
| 19066 | Q/VVl the avenging deity ; he did |
| 19067 | V not punish, nor could he |
| 19068 | show mercy, or subvert the judg- |
| 19069 | ment pronounced. It was a simple |
| 19070 | question of fact. If wicked, they |
| 19071 | were destined to suffer punishment. |
| 19072 | A man's actions were balanced in |
| 19073 | the scales against justice or tiiith, |
| 19074 | and if found wanting he was ex- |
| 19075 | cluded from future hapi^ness. Thus, |
| 19076 | though the Egyptians are said to believe |
| 19077 | the gods were capable of influencing |
| 19078 | destiny . (Euseb. Pr. Ev. iii. 4) it is |
| 19079 | evident that Osiris (like the Greek |
| 19080 | Zeus) was bound by it ; and the |
| 19081 | wicked were punished, not because he |
| 19082 | rejected them, but because they were |
| 19083 | wicked. Each man's conscience, released |
| 19084 | from the sinful body, was his own |
| 19085 | judge ; and self-condemnation hereafter |
| 19086 | followed up the yvadi and ala-xvvfo |
| 19087 | creavTov enjoined on earth. Thoth, |
| 19088 | therefore (or that part of the divine |
| 19089 | nature called intellect and conscience), |
| 19090 | weighed and condemned ; and Horus |
| 19091 | No. II. |
| 19092 | (who had been left on earth to follow |
| 19093 | out the conquests of his father Osiris |
| 19094 | after he had returned to heaven) |
| 19095 | ushered in the just to the divine |
| 19096 | presence. — [G. W. ) |
| 19097 | * These mysteries of Osiris, Hero- |
| 19098 | dotus says, were introduced into |
| 19099 | Greece by the daughters of Danaus. |
| 19100 | (See note ^ on ch. 91, note ' on |
| 19101 | ch. 107, note * on ch. 182, and Book |
| 19102 | vi. n. ch. 53.) The fables of anti- |
| 19103 | quity had generally several mean- |
| 19104 | ings ; they were either historical, |
| 19105 | physical, or religious. The less in- |
| 19106 | structed were led to believe Osiris |
| 19107 | represented some natural phenome- |
| 19108 | non ; as the inundation of the Nile, |
| 19109 | which disappearing again, and losing |
| 19110 | its effects in the sea, was construed |
| 19111 | into the manifestation and death |
| 19112 | of the deity, destroyed by Typhon ; |
| 19113 | and the story of his body having |
| 19114 | been carried to Byblus, and that of |
| 19115 | the head which went annually from |
| 19116 | Egypt to that place, swimming on |
| 19117 | the sea (Lucian de Dea Syria) for |
| 19118 | seven daj's, were the allegory of the |
| 19119 | water of the Nile carried by the cur- |
| 19120 | rents to the Syrian coast ; though |
| 19121 | Pausanias (x. 12) says they lamented |
| 19122 | Osiris, " when the Nile began to rise." |
| 19123 | His fabulous history was also thought |
| 19124 | by the Greeks to be connected with |
| p. 270 | |
| 19125 | 262 |
| 19126 | EEIGN OF AMASIS. |
| 19127 | Book II. |
| 19128 | which the Greeks term " the Thesmophoria,"*^ I know |
| 19129 | them, but I shall not mention them, except so far as |
| 19130 | may be done without impiety. The daughters of Danaus |
| 19131 | brought these rites from Egypt, and taught them to the |
| 19132 | Pelasgic women of the Peloponnese. Afterwards when |
| 19133 | the inhabitants of the peninsula were driven from their |
| 19134 | homes by the Dorians, the rites perished. Only in |
| 19135 | Arcadia, where the natives remained and were not |
| 19136 | compelled to migrate,^ their observance continued. |
| 19137 | 172. After Apries had been put to death in the way |
| 19138 | that I have described above, Amasis reigned over |
| 19139 | Egypt. He belonged to the canton of Sais, being a |
| 19140 | native of the town called Siouph.'^ At first his subjects |
| 19141 | the sun ; but it was not so viewed in |
| 19142 | early times by the Egyptians ; and |
| 19143 | this was ratlier an Asiatic notion, and |
| 19144 | an instance of tlie usual adaptation of |
| 19145 | deities to each other in different |
| 19146 | mj'thologies. Least of all was he |
| 19147 | thought to be a man deified ; and as |
| 19148 | riutarcli says (de Isid. s. 11, 20), |
| 19149 | " we are not to suppose the adven- |
| 19150 | tures related of him were actually |
| 19151 | true, or ever happened in fact ;" and |
| 19152 | tlie real meaning of them Avas con- |
| 19153 | fined to those initiated into the higher |
| 19154 | mysteries. (See foregoing n.) The |
| 19155 | death of Adonis, and of Bacchus, and |
| 19156 | tlie story of Osiris being enticed by |
| 19157 | Typhon to got into a chest, which |
| 19158 | floated down the river, and was con- |
| 19159 | veyed to " Byblus in rha?nicia," shows |
| 19160 | a close connexion between different |
| 19161 | religions ; and the rites of Adonis |
| 19162 | were performed in the temple of Venus |
| 19163 | at that place. (Lucian de Dea Sja-.) |
| 19164 | Isis liaving found the chest, brought |
| 19165 | it baclv by sea to Egypt, and concealed |
| 19166 | it till she could meet her son Horus. |
| 19167 | In the meantime Typhon discovered |
| 19168 | it, and having cut up the body into |
| 19169 | fourteen pieces, distributed them over |
| 19170 | different parts of the country. She |
| 19171 | then went in a boat made of papyrus |
| 19172 | rushes, in quest of the scattered mem- |
| 19173 | bers, and having found them, buried |
| 19174 | them in various places, which accounts |
| 19175 | for the many burial-places of Osiris, |
| 19176 | as her adventures by water do for the |
| 19177 | representations on the lake of Sais. |
| 19178 | The portion of the mj^steries imparted |
| 19179 | to strangers, as to Herodotus, Plu- |
| 19180 | tarch, and others, and even to Pytha- |
| 19181 | goras, was limited ; and the more |
| 19182 | important secrets were not even re- |
| 19183 | vealed to all " the priests, but to those |
| 19184 | only who were the most approved." |
| 19185 | (Clemens. Strom, v. 7, p. 670.) |
| 19186 | Of the resemblance of the Indian |
| 19187 | Rama, his army of Satyrs, and his |
| 19188 | conquest of India, see Sir W. Jones, |
| 19189 | vol. i. p. 262. In the Vedas (written |
| 19190 | before the later notions about trans- |
| 19191 | migration of the soul) is a deity called |
| 19192 | Yama, who bears a strong resemblance |
| 19193 | to Osiris, being the ruler of the dead, |
| 19194 | who gives a place of happiness here- |
| 19195 | after to the souls of good men. The |
| 19196 | analogy is made more striking by his |
| 19197 | having lived on earth Avitli his sister |
| 19198 | and wife Yami (as Osiris with Isis) ; |
| 19199 | and they, like Adam and Eve, were |
| 19200 | the parents of the human race. See |
| 19201 | Joum. American Orient. Soc, vol. iii. |
| 19202 | No. 2, pp. 328, 336.— [G. W.] |
| 19203 | * See note on Book vi. ch. 16. |
| 19204 | ® Compare viii. 73, and note ad loc. |
| 19205 | ^ This place is supposed to have |
| 19206 | stood to the north of Sai's, at Sefeh, on |
| 19207 | the east bank of the modern Eosetta |
| 19208 | branch. Plato thinks Amasis Avas |
| 19209 | from Sais itself (in Tim.) — Herodotus |
| 19210 | says he was of plebeian origin ; but the |
| p. 271 | |
| 19211 | Chap. 172, 173. |
| 19212 | THE GOLDEN FOOT-PAN. |
| 19213 | 263 |
| 19214 | looked down on him and held him in small esteem, |
| 19215 | because he had been a mere private person, and of a |
| 19216 | house of no great distinction ; but after a time Ap}4es- |
| 19217 | succeeded in reconciling them to his rule, not by severity, |
| 19218 | but by cleverness. Among his other sj^lendour he had |
| 19219 | a golden foot-pan, in which his guests and himself were |
| 19220 | wont upon occasion to wash their feet. This vessel he |
| 19221 | caused to be broken in pieces, and made of the gold an |
| 19222 | image of one of the gods, which he set up in the most |
| 19223 | public place in the whole city ; upon which the Egyp- |
| 19224 | tians flocked to the image, and worshipped it with the |
| 19225 | utmost reverence. Amasis, finding this was so, called |
| 19226 | an assembly, and opened the matter to them, explaining |
| 19227 | how the image had been made of the foot-pan, wherein |
| 19228 | they had been wont formerly to wash their feet and to |
| 19229 | put all manner of filth, yet now it was greatly reve- |
| 19230 | renced. " And truly," he went on to say, " it had gone |
| 19231 | with him as with the foot-pan. If he was a private |
| 19232 | person formerly, yet now he had come to be their king. |
| 19233 | And so he bade them honour and reverence him." Such |
| 19234 | was the mode in which he won over the Egyptians, and |
| 19235 | brought them to be content to do him service. |
| 19236 | 173. The following was the general habit of his |
| 19237 | life : — From early dawn to the time when the forum is |
| 19238 | wont to fill,** he sedulously transacted all the business |
| 19239 | two facts of his bavins; become King |
| 19240 | of Egypt, and baving married tbe |
| 19241 | daughter of a king, argue against this |
| 19242 | assertion ; and Diodovus, with more |
| 19243 | reason, describes him as a person of |
| 19244 | consequence, wdiich is confirmed by |
| 19245 | his rank as a general, and his being a |
| 19246 | distinguished member of the military |
| 19247 | class.— [G. W.] |
| 19248 | ^ In early times the Greeks divided |
| 19249 | the daj^ into three parts, as in Homer, |
| 19250 | Iliad xxi. Ill, rjas, beiXz], fxfaov |
| 19251 | Tjijiap. The division, according to Dio |
| 19252 | Chrysostomus (De Gloria Orat. 67 ; |
| 19253 | see also Jul. Pollux Onom. i. 68) was |
| 19254 | TTpcoi, sunrise, or early morn ; nffu |
| 19255 | 7rXr]dov(Tav dyopdv, market time (Xe- |
| 19256 | noph. Anab. 1.), or forenoon, the |
| 19257 | third hour ; fxea^-qyifipia, midday ; SeiXr], |
| 19258 | or nepl 8fi\r]v, afternoon, or the ninth |
| 19259 | hour ; and iairepa, evening, or sunset. |
| 19260 | These are very like the Arabic divi- |
| 19261 | sions at the i)resent time, for each of |
| 19262 | which they have a stated number of |
| 19263 | praj'ers : suUi, "morning" (which is |
| 19264 | also subdivided into el fe(jr, "day- |
| 19265 | break," answering to the Greek opdpiov, |
| 19266 | " dawn") ; ddJia, " forenoon ;" doh; |
| 19267 | "midday;" asse?-, " afternoon " (mid- |
| 19268 | way between noon and sunset) ; and |
| 19269 | mughreh, " sunset ;" after which is the |
| 19270 | Esher, at one hour and a half after |
| 19271 | sunset, when the last or fifth set of |
| 19272 | daily prayers is said. — [G. W.J |
| p. 272 | |
| 19273 | 264 GENERAL HABITS OF AMASIS. ' Book II. |
| 19274 | that was brought before him ; during the remainder of |
| 19275 | the day he drank and joked with his guests, passing the |
| 19276 | time in witty and, sometimes, scarce seemly conversa- |
| 19277 | tion. It grieved his friends that he should thus demean |
| 19278 | himself, and accordingly some of them chid him on the |
| 19279 | subject, sa}dng to him, — " Oh ! king, thou dost but ill |
| 19280 | guard thy royal dignity whilst thou allowest thyself |
| 19281 | in such levities. Thou shouldest sit in state upon a |
| 19282 | stately throne, and busy thyself wdth affairs the whole |
| 19283 | day long. So would the Egyptians feel that a great |
| 19284 | man rules them, and thou wouldst be better spoken |
| 19285 | of. But now thou conductest thyself in no kingly |
| 19286 | fashion." Amasis answered them thus : — '' Bowmen |
| 19287 | bend their bows when they wish to shoot ; unbrace |
| 19288 | them when the shooting is over. Were they kept |
| 19289 | always strung they would break, and fail the archer |
| 19290 | in time of need. So it is with men. If they give |
| 19291 | themselves constantly to serious work, and never in- |
| 19292 | dulge awhile in pastime or sport, they lose their |
| 19293 | senses, and become mad or moody. Knowing this, |
| 19294 | I divide my life between pastime and business." |
| 19295 | Thus he answered his friends. |
| 19296 | 174. It is said that Amasis, even while he was a |
| 19297 | private man, had the same tastes for drinking and jest- |
| 19298 | ing, and was averse to engaging in any serious employ- |
| 19299 | ment. He lived in constant feasts and revelries, and |
| 19300 | whenever his means failed him, he roamed about and |
| 19301 | robbed people. On such occasions the persons from |
| 19302 | whom he had stoleji would bring him, if he denied the |
| 19303 | charge, before the nearest oracle ; sometimes, the oracle |
| 19304 | would pronounce him guilty of the theft, at other times |
| 19305 | it would acquit him. When afterwards he came to be |
| 19306 | king, he neglected the temples of such gods as had |
| 19307 | declared that he was nojb a thief, and neither contributed |
| 19308 | to their adornment, nor frequented them for sacrifice ; |
| 19309 | since he regarded them as utterly worthless, and their |
| 19310 | oi'acles as wholly false : but the gods who had detected |
| p. 273 | |
| 19311 | Chap. 175. |
| 19312 | HIS MONOLITHIC CHAMBER. |
| 19313 | 267 |
| 19314 | against Memphis, but the largest were brought from |
| 19315 | Elephantine,^ which is twenty days' voyage from Sais. |
| 19316 | Of all these wonderful masses that which I most ad- |
| 19317 | mire is a chamber made of a single stone,^ which was |
| 19318 | quarried at Elephantine. It took three years to convey |
| 19319 | this block from the quarry to Sais ; and in the con- |
| 19320 | veyance were employed no fewer than two thousand |
| 19321 | labourers, who were all from the class of boatmen. |
| 19322 | The length of this chamber on the outside is twenty- |
| 19323 | one cubits, its breadth fourteen cubits, and its height |
| 19324 | eight. The measurements inside are the following : — |
| 19325 | the length, eighteen cubits and five-sixths ; the breadth, |
| 19326 | twelve cubits ; and the height, five. It lies near the |
| 19327 | entrance of the temple, where it was left in consequence |
| 19328 | minating in a' lotus flower (fig. 5) — |
| 19329 | a strange combination of the bird, |
| 19330 | qiiadniped, and vegetable — as well as |
| 19331 | other fanciful creatures, one of which |
| 19332 | has the spotted body of a leopard, with a |
| 19333 | winged human head on its back resem- |
| 19334 | bling a modern cheiiib ; and another is |
| 19335 | like a gazelle with wings (fig. 1). There |
| 19336 | is also the square-eared quadruped, the |
| 19337 | emblem of Seth (fig. 4). The unicorn |
| 19338 | also occurs in the same early paint- |
| 19339 | ings. To this was generally attached |
| 19340 | the idea of gi-eat " strength " (Numb, |
| 19341 | xxiii. 22, and xxiv. 8), for which the |
| 19342 | real luiicom (the rhinoceros) was noted; |
| 19343 | and with this view the sculptors of the |
| 19344 | Nineveh obelisk, and of Persepolis |
| 19345 | (Ker Porter, i. PL 35), who had never |
| 19346 | seen it, represented it under the form |
| 19347 | of a bull, their emblem of strength |
| 19348 | (Cp. Pausan. ix. 21) : but the Egyptian |
| 19349 | unicom, even in the early time of the |
| 19350 | 12th dynast}', was the rhinoceros ; and |
| 19351 | though less known then than after- |
| 19352 | wards, it had the pointed nose and |
| 19353 | small tail of that animal, of which it |
| 19354 | is a rude representation. Over it is |
| 19355 | " ebo," a name applied also to " ivory," |
| 19356 | and to any large beast. The winged |
| 19357 | Greek sphinxes, so common on vases, |
| 19358 | are partly Egyptian, partly Phccnician |
| 19359 | in their cliaracter, the reciu'vcd tips of |
| 19360 | the wings being evidently taken from |
| 19361 | those of Astarte. (See woodcut No. |
| 19362 | 4 in Ajip, to B. iii. Essay i.) |
| 19363 | The Romans sometimes gave to |
| 19364 | sphinxes the head of a man, sometimes |
| 19365 | of a woman, with the roj-al asp upon |
| 19366 | the forehead, in sculptures of late time. |
| 19367 | It is remarkable that in India a sphinx |
| 19368 | is said to represent the fourth avatar of |
| 19369 | Vishnoo, and in Thibet it is called |
| 19370 | nara-sinhas, " man-lion," or merely |
| 19371 | sinhas, " lion," pronounced singhas, |
| 19372 | like a(f)iyyas. — [G. W.] |
| 19373 | ^ These were gi'anite blocks. — |
| 19374 | :g. W.] |
| 19375 | ^ The form and dimensions of tliis |
| 19376 | monolith were very like that of the |
| 19377 | same king at Tel-et-mai, Thmuis, or |
| 19378 | Leontoi)olis (given in Mr. Burton's |
| 19379 | Excerpta, plate 41), which measures |
| 19380 | 21 ft. 9 high, 13 ft. broad, and 11 ft. |
| 19381 | 7 deep, and internally 19 ft. 3, 8 ft., |
| 19382 | and 8 ft. 3. That of Sai's, according |
| 19383 | to Herodotus, ^vas 31 ft. 6 long, 22 ft. |
| 19384 | broad, and 12 ft. high, and, within, |
| 19385 | 28 ft. 3, 18 ft., and 7^. His length |
| 19386 | is really the height, when standing |
| 19387 | erect. It was not equal in weight |
| 19388 | to the granite Colossus of Eemeses at |
| 19389 | Thebes, which weighed upwards of |
| 19390 | 887 tons, and it was far inferior to |
| 19391 | the monolith of Buto, which was |
| 19392 | taken from tlie same quarries. See |
| 19393 | note ^ on ch. 155. — [G. W.] |
| p. 274 | |
| 19394 | 268 PROSPERITY OF EGYPT IN THE REIGN OF AMASIS. Book II. |
| 19395 | of the following circumstance : — It happened that the |
| 19396 | architect, just as the stone had reached the spot where |
| 19397 | it now stands, heaved a sigh, considering the length of |
| 19398 | time that the removal had taken, and feeling wearied |
| 19399 | with the heavy toil. The sigh was heard by Amasis, |
| 19400 | who regarding it as an omen, would not allow the |
| 19401 | chamber to be moved forward any further. Some, |
| 19402 | however, say, that one of the workmen engaged at |
| 19403 | the levers was crushed and killed by the mass, and |
| 19404 | that this was the reason of its being left where it now |
| 19405 | stands. |
| 19406 | 176. To the other temples of much note Amasis also |
| 19407 | made magnificent offerings — at Memphis, for instance, |
| 19408 | he gave the recumbent colossus * in front of the temple |
| 19409 | of Tulcan, which is seventy-five feet long. Two other |
| 19410 | colossal statues stand on the same base, each twenty |
| 19411 | feet high, carved in the stone of Ethiopia, one on |
| 19412 | either side of the temple. There is also a stone |
| 19413 | colossus of the same size at Sai's, recumbent like that |
| 19414 | at Memphis. Amasis finally built the temple of Isis at |
| 19415 | Memphis, a vast structure, well worth seeing. |
| 19416 | 177. It is said that the reign of Amasis was the most |
| 19417 | prosperous time that Egypt ever saw,^ — the river was |
| 19418 | ■* It was an unnsiial position for an |
| 19419 | Egj'^ptian statue ; and this, as well as |
| 19420 | the other at Memphis, and the mono- |
| 19421 | lith, may have been left on the ground, |
| 19422 | in consequence of the troubles which |
| 19423 | came upon Egj^pt at the time ; and |
| 19424 | which the Egj-ptians concealed from |
| 19425 | Herodotus. Strabo speaks of a Colossus |
| 19426 | of a single stone, Ijing before the |
| 19427 | dromos of the temjjle at Memphis, |
| 19428 | in which the bull fights were held. |
| 19429 | This may be the statue of Amasis. — |
| 19430 | [G. W.]" |
| 19431 | * This can only relate to the in- |
| 19432 | ternal state of the country ; and what |
| 19433 | Herodotus afterwards says shows this |
| 19434 | was his meaning. The flourishing in- |
| 19435 | ternal condition of Egj'pt is certainly |
| 19436 | proved by the monuments, and the |
| 19437 | wealth of private individuals was |
| 19438 | very remarkable ; but Egypt had lost |
| 19439 | all its power abroad, and had long |
| 19440 | been threatened, if not actually in- |
| 19441 | vaded, by the Babylonians. Indeed |
| 19442 | the civil war between Apries and |
| 19443 | Amasis had probably given Nebuchad- |
| 19444 | nezzar an opportunity for interfering in |
| 19445 | Egjqit ; and if Amasis was forced to |
| 19446 | pay tribute to the Babylonians for quiet |
| 19447 | possession of the throne, this might |
| 19448 | account for the prophecy in Ezekiel |
| 19449 | (ch. xxix.), Avhich is so perplexing, |
| 19450 | that Egj'pt should be given to Nebu- |
| 19451 | chadnezzar, and be " a base kingdom," |
| 19452 | raising itself no more to " rule over |
| 19453 | the nations." Its being the basest of |
| 19454 | kingdoms, uninhabited forty years (v. |
| 19455 | 11), and its cities desolate, appears to |
| 19456 | accord badly Avith the prosperous time |
| 19457 | of Amasis ; if all this was to happen |
| p. 275 | |
| 19458 | Chap. 176, 177. HIS LAW AGAINST IDLENESS. |
| 19459 | 269 |
| 19460 | more liberal to the land, and the land brought forth |
| 19461 | more abundantly for the service of man than had ever |
| 19462 | been known before ; while the number of inhabited |
| 19463 | cities was not less than twenty thousand. It was this |
| 19464 | king Amasis who established the law that every Egyp- |
| 19465 | tian should appear once a year before the governor of |
| 19466 | his canton,'' and show his means of living ; or, failing |
| 19467 | to do so, and to prove that he got an honest livelihood, |
| 19468 | should be put to death. Solon the Athenian borrowed |
| 19469 | after the year 585 B.C., -when Tyre was |
| 19470 | taken, ami consequently to extend into |
| 19471 | his reign (Ezek. xxix. 18). Still less |
| 19472 | could the captivity of Egypt date be- |
| 19473 | fore the fall of Nineveh, as has been |
| 19474 | supposed from Nahum (iii. 8). The |
| 19475 | successful reign of Apries, and his ob- |
| 19476 | liging the Chaldeans to raise the siege |
| 19477 | of Jerusalem (Jer. xxxvii. 5), render |
| 19478 | it impossible ; <nnd the civil war be- |
| 19479 | tween Apries and Amasis happening |
| 19480 | after the taking of Tyre, would agree |
| 19481 | better with the sta,tement of Ezekiel |
| 19482 | (xxix. 18) as to the time of Nebuchad- |
| 19483 | nezzar's invasion of Egypt. That it |
| 19484 | took place is directly stated by Ezekiel |
| 19485 | and Jeremiah (xliii. 10, and xlvi. 13) : |
| 19486 | the opportunity for interference was |
| 19487 | favouralile for the Babylonians ; and |
| 19488 | the mere fact of a tribute being im- |
| 19489 | posed by Nebuchadnezzar would ac- |
| 19490 | count for the great calamities described |
| 19491 | b}' those prophets, which to the Egjq)- |
| 19492 | tians would be the utmost humiliation. |
| 19493 | Many tributes too were imjiosed on |
| 19494 | people without absolute conquest or |
| 19495 | invasion. The reference to the pride |
| 19496 | of Apries in Ezekiel (xxix. 3) also |
| 19497 | argues that it was at his downfall ; |
| 19498 | and this is again foretold in Isaiah |
| 19499 | (xix. 2). There is, however, a diffi- |
| 19500 | culty in the forty years, occupying as |
| 19501 | they would so great a portion of the |
| 19502 | reign of Amasis. (See Hist. Notice, |
| 19503 | App. CH. viii., end of § 37.) During |
| 19504 | his reign, and before 554 B.C. (when |
| 19505 | Sardis was taken), Croesus had made a |
| 19506 | treaty of alliance with Amasis, as well |
| 19507 | as with the Baliylonians, at the time |
| 19508 | that Labynetus (Nabonidus ?) reigned |
| 19509 | in Babylon (supra, i. 77) ; from which |
| 19510 | it might be argued that the Egyptians |
| 19511 | were bound to follow the policy of the |
| 19512 | Babylonians ; and the Egyptian pha- |
| 19513 | lanx in the Lydian army is mentioned |
| 19514 | by Xenophon. (See Cyrop. vi. ii. 10, |
| 19515 | and vii. i. 30-45.) Again, it has |
| 19516 | been supposed that the captivity of |
| 19517 | Egj'pt should rather refer to the Per- |
| 19518 | sian invasion, which could scarcely |
| 19519 | have been overlooked in prophecy ; |
| 19520 | but these denouncements did not allude |
| 19521 | to events about to happen long after |
| 19522 | the fall of Jerusalem ; they were to |
| 19523 | show the hopelessness of trusting to |
| 19524 | Egypt against the power of Babylon ; |
| 19525 | and the invasion of Egj^pt by the Per- |
| 19526 | sians had no connexion with Jewish |
| 19527 | history. Nor is it certain that 40 is |
| 19528 | always to be taken as an exact number ; |
| 19529 | its frequent occurrence in the Bible |
| 19530 | (like 7 and some others) shows this |
| 19531 | could not be ; and 4, or 40, is con- |
| 19532 | sidered to signify " completion," or |
| 19533 | " perfection," like the square, and the |
| 19534 | number 24 in Arabic. See Hist. |
| 19535 | Notice, § 38, and note^ on ch. 100, |
| 19536 | and on ch. 8, Book iii. — [G. W.] |
| 19537 | * Each nome, or canton, was go- |
| 19538 | verned by a nomarch. Herodotus attri- |
| 19539 | butes this law to Amasis ; but it |
| 19540 | appears to have been much older ; |
| 19541 | since we find in the sculptures of the |
| 19542 | 18th dynasty bodies of men presenting |
| 19543 | themselves before the magistrates for |
| 19544 | registration. It is possible that Amosis, |
| 19545 | the first king of that d}niasty, made |
| 19546 | the law, and that the resemblance of |
| 19547 | the two names led to the mistake. |
| 19548 | Diodorus (i. 77) mentions it as an |
| 19549 | Egyptian law, and agrees with He- |
| 19550 | rodotus in saying that Solon intro- |
| 19551 | duced it at Athens ; but it was Draco |
| 19552 | who made death the punishment at |
| p. 276 | |
| 19553 | 270 |
| 19554 | CxREEKS SETTLE AT NAUCRATIS. |
| 19555 | Book II. |
| 19556 | this law from the Egyptians, and imposed it on his |
| 19557 | comitrymen, who have observed it ever since. It is |
| 19558 | indeed an excellent custom. |
| 19559 | 178. Amasis was partial to the Greeks,'' and among |
| 19560 | other favours which lie granted them, gave to such |
| 19561 | as liked to settle in Egypt the city of Naucratis * for |
| 19562 | their residence. To those who only wished to trade |
| 19563 | upon the coast, and did not want to fix their abode in |
| 19564 | the country, he granted certain lands where they might |
| 19565 | set up altars and erect temples to the gods. Of these |
| 19566 | Athens ; which -was altered by Solon |
| 19567 | (Plut. Life of Solon), "who repealed all |
| 19568 | Draco's laws, excepting those concern- |
| 19569 | ing murder, because they were too |
| 19570 | severe ;" " insomuch that those who |
| 19571 | were convicted of idleness were con- |
| 19572 | demned to die." But Solon "ordered |
| 19573 | the Areopagites to ascertain how every |
| 19574 | man got his living, and to chastise the |
| 19575 | idle."— [G. W.] |
| 19576 | ^ Amasis had reason to be hostile to |
| 19577 | the Greeks, who had assisted Apries, |
| 19578 | but pei'ceiving the value of their aid, |
| 19579 | he became friendly to them, and |
| 19580 | granted them many privileges, which |
| 19581 | had the effect of inducing many to |
| 19582 | settle in Egypt, and afterwards led |
| 19583 | them to assist the Egyptians in free- |
| 19584 | ing their coimtry from the Persians. |
| 19585 | -[G. W.J |
| 19586 | " This was " formerly" the only |
| 19587 | commercial entrepot for Greek mer- |
| 19588 | chandise, and was established for the |
| 19589 | first time by Amasis. The privileges |
| 19590 | enjoyed by Naucratis were not only |
| 19591 | owing to the exclusive regulations of |
| 19592 | the Egyptians, like those of the Chi- |
| 19593 | nese at the present day, but were a |
| 19594 | precaution against pirates landing on |
| 19595 | the coast, under pretence of trading. |
| 19596 | (See notes ^ and ' on chs. 112 and |
| 19597 | 154.) The exact position of Nau- |
| 19598 | cratis is unknown. The name is |
| 19599 | Greek, like that of Archander (supra, |
| 19600 | ch. 98). Of the Naucratis garlands, |
| 19601 | see Atheu. Deip. xv. — [G. W.] |
| 19602 | The story told by Strabo (xvii. p. |
| 19603 | 1137) of the foundation of Naucratis |
| 19604 | by the Milesians in the time of Inarus |
| 19605 | is entitled to no manner of credit. It |
| 19606 | may be questioned whether Naucratis |
| 19607 | was in any real sense " a Milesian |
| 19608 | colony." |
| p. 277 | |
| 19609 | Chap. 178, 179. |
| 19610 | THE HELLENIUM. |
| 19611 | 271 |
| 19612 | temples the grandest and most famous, wliicli is also the |
| 19613 | most frequented, is that called " the Hellenium." It |
| 19614 | was huilt conjointly by the lonians, Dorians, and |
| 19615 | Cohans, the following cities taking part in the work, — |
| 19616 | the Ionian 'states of Chios, Teos, Phoccea, and Clazo- |
| 19617 | menae ; Rhodes, Cnidus, Halicarnassus, and Phaselis ^ |
| 19618 | of the Dorians ; and Mytilene of the Cohans. These |
| 19619 | are the states to whom the temple belongs, and they |
| 19620 | have the right of appointing the governors of the fac- |
| 19621 | tory ; the other cities which claim a share in the build- |
| 19622 | ing, claim what in no sense belongs to them. Three |
| 19623 | nations, however, consecrated for themselves separate |
| 19624 | temples, the Eginetans one to Jupiter, the Samians to |
| 19625 | Juno, and the Milesians to Apollo.^ |
| 19626 | 179. In ancient times there was no factory but Nau- |
| 19627 | cratis in the whole of Egypt ; and if a person entered |
| 19628 | one of the- other mouths of the Nile, he was obliged to |
| 19629 | swear, that he had not come there of his own free will. |
| 19630 | Having so done, he was bound to sail in his ship to the |
| 19631 | Canobic mouth, or, were that impossible owing to con- |
| 19632 | trary winds, he must take his wares by boat all round |
| 19633 | the Delta, and so bring them to Naucratis, whicli had |
| 19634 | an exclusive privilege. |
| 19635 | ® Phaselis lay on the east coast of |
| 19636 | Lycia, directly at the base of Mount |
| 19637 | Solyma (Takhtalu). It was sometimes |
| 19638 | reckoned to Pamphylia (Plin. H. N. |
| 19639 | V. 27 ; Mela, i. 14 ; Steph. Byz. ad |
| 19640 | voc), but more commonly, and by |
| 19641 | the best geographers, to Lycia (Scyl. |
| 19642 | Peripl. p. 94 ; Strab. xiv. p. 952 ; |
| 19643 | Ptolem. V. 3 ; Arrian. i. 24, &c.). |
| 19644 | According to tradition, it was founded |
| 19645 | by Lacius, the brother of Antipheinus, |
| 19646 | the Lindian colonizer of Gela. (He- |
| 19647 | ropyth. and Philosteph. ap. Athen. |
| 19648 | Deipn. vii. p. 297, f. and Arista3net. |
| 19649 | ap. Stepli. Byz. ad voc. FeXa.) This |
| 19650 | would place its foundation about B.C. |
| 19651 | (i90. There seems to be no doubt |
| 19652 | that it was a pin-cly Greek town. |
| 19653 | The remains of Pliaselis are very |
| 19654 | considerable, and have been carefullj- |
| 19655 | described by Capt. Beaufort. (Kara- |
| 19656 | mania, pp. 59-70.) Its modern name |
| 19657 | is Tekrova. The part of the coast |
| 19658 | where it is situated abounds in woods |
| 19659 | of pine, which explains its ancient |
| 19660 | name of Pityussa. (See Steph. Byz. |
| 19661 | ad voc. ^a(Tr]\is.) |
| 19662 | The other places here mentioned are |
| 19663 | too well known to need comment. |
| 19664 | ' That is, to tlie gods specially |
| 19665 | worshipped in their respective coun- |
| 19666 | tries. The great temple of Jupiter |
| 19667 | Panhel lenius in Egina, briefly described |
| 19668 | by Pausanias (ii. xxix. § 6), is well |
| 19669 | known to travellers. That of Apollo |
| 19670 | at Branchidaj, and that of Juno at |
| 19671 | Samos, have been already noticed. |
| 19672 | (Supra, i. 157, ii. 148.) |
| p. 278 | |
| 19673 | 272 |
| 19674 | AMASIS MARRIES LADTCE. |
| 19675 | Book II. |
| 19676 | 180. It happened in the reign of Amasis that the |
| 19677 | temple of Delplii had been accidentally burnt,^ and the |
| 19678 | Amphictyons^ had contracted to have it rebuilt for |
| 19679 | three hundred talents, of which sum one-fourth was to |
| 19680 | be furnished by the Delphians. Under these circum- |
| 19681 | stances the Delphians went from city to city begging |
| 19682 | contributions, and among their other wanderings came |
| 19683 | to Egypt, and asked for help. From few other places |
| 19684 | did they obtain so much — Amasis gave them a thousand |
| 19685 | talents of alum,* and the Greek settlers, twenty min^e.^ |
| 19686 | 181. A league was concluded by Amasis with the |
| 19687 | Cyrenteans, by which Cyrene and Egypt became close |
| 19688 | friends and allies. He likewise took a wife from that |
| 19689 | city, either as a sign of his friendly feeling, or because |
| 19690 | he had a fancy to marry a Greek woman. However this |
| 19691 | may be, certain it is that he espoused a lady of Cyrene, |
| 19692 | by name Ladice,*' daughter, some say, of Battus or |
| 19693 | Arcesilaiis, the king '' — others, of Critobiilus, one of the |
| 19694 | chief citizens. When the time came to complete the |
| 19695 | contract, Amasis was struck with weakness. Astonished |
| 19696 | ^ The temple at Delphi was burnt |
| 19697 | in the year b.c. 548 (Pansan. X. v. |
| 19698 | § 5), consequently in the 21st year of |
| 19699 | Amasis. According to one account |
| 19700 | (Pliiloch. Fr. 70), it ^vas purposely |
| 19701 | destroj-ed by the Pisistratidiv. But |
| 19702 | this was probably a calumny. Its |
| 19703 | reconstruction bj^ the AlcmcTonida-, |
| 19704 | Avho took the contract from the Am- |
| 19705 | phictyons, is noticed in Book v. ch. 62. |
| 19706 | " Hee note on Book vii. ch. 200. |
| 19707 | * That of Egypt was celebrated : |
| 19708 | " laudatissima in ^gypto." (Plin. |
| 19709 | XXXV. 15.) Much is still obtained in |
| 19710 | the Oasis, but the best is from Shcb |
| 19711 | (which signifies " alum"), to the south |
| 19712 | of the Great Oasis, on the caravan- |
| 19713 | road from Darfur. — fO. W.l |
| 19714 | * Twenty minaj would be some- |
| 19715 | what more than eighty pounds of our |
| 19716 | money. The entire sum which the |
| 19717 | Delphians had to collect exceeded |
| 19718 | 18,000Z. |
| 19719 | " One wife of Amasis was a damrhter |
| 19720 | ^rrrrrd |
| 19721 | of the third Psammetichus, and an- |
| 19722 | other is mentioned on the monuments |
| 19723 | called Tashot, which looks |
| 19724 | like a foreign (Asiatic) name. |
| 19725 | Amasis had the title uf |
| 19726 | Neitsi, " son of Xeith," or |
| 19727 | Minerva ; and this name, |
| 19728 | Ames - Neitsi, has been |
| 19729 | changed by Pliny into Scne- |
| 19730 | serteus, who (he says) reigned |
| 19731 | wlien Pythagoras was in Egvpt. — |
| 19732 | [G. W.] ' |
| 19733 | '' Some of the MSS. give the read- |
| 19734 | ing " Battus, the son of Arcesilaiis," |
| 19735 | which Wesseling prefers. But the |
| 19736 | weight of authority is on the other |
| 19737 | side. The chronology of the Cyrena^an |
| 19738 | kings is so obscure, that it is difficult |
| 19739 | to say which monarch or monarclis |
| 19740 | are intended. Perhaps Battus the |
| 19741 | Happy, and Arcesilaiis II., his son, |
| 19742 | have the best claim. (See note on |
| 19743 | Book iv. ch. 163.) |
| p. 279 | |
| 19744 | Chap. 180-182. OFFERINGS OF AMASIS AT GREEK SHRINES. 273 |
| 19745 | liereat — for he was not wont to be so afflicted — the |
| 19746 | king tlius addressed his bride : " Woman, thou hast |
| 19747 | certainly bewitched me — now therefore be sure thou |
| 19748 | shalt perish more miserably than ever woman perished |
| 19749 | yet." Ladice protested her innocence, but in vain ; |
| 19750 | Amasis was not softened. Hereupon she made a vow |
| 19751 | internally, that if he recovered within the day (for no |
| 19752 | longer time was allowed her), she would present a |
| 19753 | statue to the temj^le of Yenus at Cyrene. Immediately |
| 19754 | she obtained her wish, and the king's weakness disap- |
| 19755 | peared. Amasis loved her greatly ever after, and |
| 19756 | Ladice performed her vow. The statue' which she |
| 19757 | caused to be made, and sent to Cyrene, continued there |
| 19758 | to my day, standing with its face looking outwards |
| 19759 | from the city. Ladice herself, when Cambyses con- |
| 19760 | quered Egypt, suffered no wrong ; for Cambyses, on |
| 19761 | learning of her who she was, sent her back unharmed |
| 19762 | to her country. |
| 19763 | 182. Besides the marks of favour already mentioned, |
| 19764 | Amasis also enriched with offerings many of the Greek |
| 19765 | temples. He sent to Cyrene a statue of Minerva covered |
| 19766 | with plates of gold,^ and a painted likeness^ of himself. |
| 19767 | ^ Statues of this kind were not |
| 19768 | imcommon (infra, vi. 118). The most |
| 19769 | famous was that of Minerva at Delphi, |
| 19770 | which the Athenians dedicated from |
| 19771 | the sfjoils of their victory at the Eury- |
| 19772 | medon. (Pausan. X. xv. § 3 ; Ciitod. |
| 19773 | Fr. 15.) |
| 19774 | 9 The Egyptians had actual por- |
| 19775 | traits of their kings at a very remote |
| 19776 | period ; and those in the sculptures |
| 19777 | were real likenesses. That sent by |
| 19778 | Amasis to Cyrene was on wood, like |
| 19779 | the TTLvuKes, or ypacf)ai (tabular), of the |
| 19780 | Greeks ; and similar ]Mctures are shown |
| 19781 | to have been painted in Egy^!)t as early |
| 19782 | as the 12th dynasty, nearly 2000 B.C. |
| 19783 | VOL. II. |
| p. 280 | |
| 19784 | 274 |
| 19785 | OFFERINGS OF AMASIS. |
| 19786 | Hook II. |
| 19787 | 3 |
| 19788 | to |
| 19789 | >> |
| 19790 | to |
| 19791 | W |
| 19792 | to |
| 19793 | c |
| p. 281 | |
| 19794 | Chap. 182. |
| 19795 | OFFEEIXGS OF AMASIS. |
| 19796 | 275, |
| 19797 | To the Minerva of Lindus he gave two statues in stone, |
| 19798 | and a linen corslet^ well worth inspection. To the |
| 19799 | (Cp., Pliny, XXXV. 3, vii. 56, where he |
| 19800 | says, " Gyges, the Lydian, first in- |
| 19801 | vented painting in Egypt.") In Greece |
| 19802 | pictures (often hmig iip in temples) |
| 19803 | were works of the best artists, frescoes |
| 19804 | and others on walls being an inferior |
| 19805 | branch of art (" nulla gloria artificura |
| 19806 | est, nisi eorum c[ui tabulas pinxere ;" |
| 19807 | Plin. XXXV. 10); and we may con- |
| 19808 | clude that in Egypt also the real |
| 19809 | artists were those Avho painted pic- |
| 19810 | tures. The bas-reliefs and paintings |
| 19811 | on the monuments were executed more |
| 19812 | mechanicallj^ the figures being drawn |
| 19813 | in squares ; but in many cases the use |
| 19814 | of the squares was for copyinc) the |
| 19815 | figures from smaller original designs |
| 19816 | of the master-artist ; and some figures |
| 19817 | were drawn at once without the squares, |
| 19818 | and then corrected by the master. |
| 19819 | When in squares, 19 parts were given |
| 19820 | to the height of a man from the top of |
| 19821 | the head to the plant of the foot ; and |
| 19822 | so systematic was this method, that |
| 19823 | in statues Diodorus says (i. 98) the |
| 19824 | various portions of the same figure, |
| 19825 | made by several artists in different |
| 19826 | places, Avhen brought together, would |
| 19827 | agree perfectly, and make a complete |
| 19828 | whole. In his time, however, the |
| 19829 | proportions had been altered, and he |
| 19830 | gives 1\\ parts as the height of the |
| 19831 | figure. It seems, too, that they were |
| 19832 | somewhat different in statues and |
| 19833 | painted figures. These last also varied |
| 19834 | at times. The above, of 19 parts, was |
| 19835 | used in the best period of art during |
| 19836 | the 18th and 19th dynasties. The |
| 19837 | figures were then a little more elon- |
| 19838 | gated than during the reigns of the |
| 19839 | Memphite kings (a greater distance |
| 19840 | being given from the plant of the foot |
| 19841 | to tlie knee), and still more than under |
| 19842 | the Ptolemies, when an attempt to |
| 19843 | firing the proportions nearer to the real |
| 19844 | figure altered its character, and gave |
| 19845 | it a clumsiness, ^dthout any approach |
| 19846 | to greater truth. For the Egyptian |
| 19847 | style was quite conventional, and could |
| 19848 | never be subjected to any other niles ; |
| 19849 | and the Ptolemaic figure, as Dr. Lep- |
| 19850 | sius observes, " was a bad imitation of |
| 19851 | foreign and ill-understood art." (See |
| 19852 | his Letters from Egypt, p. 117.) With |
| 19853 | the Greeks the length of the foot was |
| 19854 | " the measure whose proportion to the |
| 19855 | entire heiglit was generallv main- |
| 19856 | tained" (Muller, Anct. Art. p. 392); |
| 19857 | but as in Egypt it is equal in length |
| 19858 | to 3 squares, or parts, it cannot |
| 19859 | answer lor a figure of 19. And six of |
| 19860 | these feet coming only to the forehead, |
| 19861 | which varied so much as to be " f, or |
| 19862 | 5, or less of another square," shows |
| 19863 | that neither the foot, nor the arbitrary |
| 19864 | and variable point to which it was |
| 19865 | measured, could be any guide. In the |
| 19866 | best period, from the ground to the |
| 19867 | knee was 6 parts, or 2 feet; but the |
| 19868 | figure was greater in breadth as com- |
| 19869 | pared to its height in the pyramid |
| 19870 | period than during the 18th and 19th |
| 19871 | dynasty ; the distance from the ground |
| 19872 | to the knee, though 6 parts, was less |
| 19873 | than 2 feet, and the waist was nearly |
| 19874 | 3 parts (or 2|) ; while at the 18th |
| 19875 | dynasty period it was only 2 parts in |
| 19876 | breadth. In the old ]iyramid-time tlie |
| 19877 | length of the foot was \ of the whole |
| 19878 | figure to the top of the head ; in thei |
| 19879 | other period much less (3x6 being |
| 19880 | 18) ; so that there must have been |
| 19881 | another standard ; and the great dif- |
| 19882 | ference was in the breadth, com] arcd |
| 19883 | to the height, of the figure ; a difier- |
| 19884 | ence in the mnnher of the squares |
| 19885 | is also said to have been met with. |
| 19886 | (See Handbook of E<jypt, Route 29, |
| 19887 | Omhos.') |
| 19888 | There are some portraits painted on |
| 19889 | wood and affixed to mrmimy cases, |
| 19890 | but these are of Greek and Poman |
| 19891 | time, and an innovation not Egvptian. |
| 19892 | — [G. W.] |
| 19893 | ' Some of these linen corslets were |
| 19894 | of verj' remarkable texture ; and He- |
| 19895 | rodotus (iii. 47) mentions another |
| 19896 | presented by Amasis to the Lacedaj- |
| 19897 | monians, which Avas carried off by the |
| 19898 | Samians. It was ornamented with |
| 19899 | numerous figures of animals, worked |
| 19900 | in gold and cotton. Each thread was |
| 19901 | worth}' of admiration, for though very |
| 19902 | fine, every one was composed of 360 |
| 19903 | other threads, all distinct, the quality |
| 19904 | being similar to tliat dedicateil to |
| 19905 | T 2 |
| p. 282 | |
| 19906 | 276 |
| 19907 | OFFERINGS OF AMASIS. |
| 19908 | Book II. |
| 19909 | Samian Juno he presented two statues of himself, made |
| 19910 | in wood,^ which stood in the great temple to my day, |
| 19911 | behind the doors. Samos was honoured with these |
| 19912 | gifts on account of the bond of friendship subsisting |
| 19913 | between Amasis and Polycrates, the son of ^aces :^ |
| 19914 | Lindus, for no such reason, but because of the tradition |
| 19915 | that the daughters of Danaus * touched there in their |
| 19916 | Minerva at Lindus. Gold thread, it |
| 19917 | should be observed, is mentioned in |
| 19918 | Exod. xxxix. 3 for working in rich |
| 19919 | colours (see At. Eg. vol. iii. p. 128). |
| 19920 | It has been conjectured that the " tree- |
| 19921 | wool" of Herodotus was silk ; but |
| 19922 | cotton is commonly r;sed for em- |
| 19923 | broidery even at the present day. |
| 19924 | (See above, ch. 86, note *.) A similar |
| 19925 | corslet with figures of animals is |
| 19926 | represented in the tomb of Eemeses |
| 19927 | III. at Thebes. Lucan (Phars. x. 142) |
| 19928 | mentions the needlework of Egypt : — |
| 19929 | " Candida Sidonio perlucent pectora filo, |
| 19930 | Quod Xilotis acus compressum pectiiie Serum |
| 19931 | Solvit, et extens<j laxavit sUxmina velo." |
| 19932 | Pliny (xix. 1) notices " the corslet |
| 19933 | of Amasis, shown in the Temple of |
| 19934 | Minerva at Rhodes," which seems to |
| 19935 | have been nearly pulled to pieces (as |
| 19936 | it would be now), to test "the 365 |
| 19937 | threads."— [G. W.] |
| 19938 | ^ These were not uncommon ; and |
| 19939 | many have been found of kings Avho |
| 19940 | preceded Amasis in the same buildings |
| 19941 | Avhere granite and other statues of the |
| 19942 | same period were placed. Pausanias |
| 19943 | (ii. 19) says "all ancient statues were |
| 19944 | of wood, especially those of the Egj-p- |
| 19945 | tians ;" and if in Eg^-pt they were no |
| 19946 | ])roof of antiquity, still the oldest there |
| 19947 | also were probablv of wood. — FG. W.] |
| 19948 | « Vide infra, iii. 39-43." |
| 19949 | * The flight of Danaus from |
| 19950 | Egypt to Greece is not only men- |
| 19951 | tioned by Herodotus, but by Ma- |
| 19952 | netho and others, and was credited |
| 19953 | both by Greeks _ and Egj^ptians ; |
| 19954 | and it is certainly verj' impro- |
| 19955 | bable (as Mr. Kenrick observes) |
| 19956 | that the Greeks would have traced |
| 19957 | the colonisation of Argos, and the |
| 19958 | origin of certain rites, to Egypt, |
| 19959 | unless there had been some autho- |
| 19960 | rity for the stoiy. The foundation |
| 19961 | of the Temple of Lindus in Rhodes |
| 19962 | by the daughters of Danaus, when |
| 19963 | flying from Egj'pt, accords with |
| 19964 | the notion of colonisation and |
| 19965 | religious rites passing from the |
| 19966 | p]g}'ptians to the Greeks ; and the |
| 19967 | tradition of the relationship be- |
| 19968 | tween ^Eg}q:)tus, Danaus, and |
| 19969 | Belus, connects the three coun- |
| 19970 | tries of Egypt, Greece, and Phoe- |
| 19971 | nicia See note ■*, ch. 101, and |
| 19972 | note ', ch. 107.— [G. W.] |
| 19973 | * Cjqnais seems to have been first |
| 19974 | occupied by the Chittim, a Japhetic |
| 19975 | race (Gen. x. 4). To them must be |
| 19976 | attributed the foundation of the |
| p. 283 | |
| 19977 | Chap. 182. |
| 19978 | AMASIS REDUCES CYPRUS. |
| 19979 | 277 |
| 19980 | flight from the sons of ^gyptus, and built the temple |
| 19981 | of Minerva. Such were the offerings of Amasis. He |
| 19982 | likewise took Cyprus, which no man had ever done |
| 19983 | before,^ and compelled it to pay him a tribute.^ |
| 19984 | original capital, Citiiim. Before the |
| 19985 | Trojan war, however, the Phoenicians |
| 19986 | had made themselves masters of the |
| 19987 | island, which they may have named |
| 19988 | Cyprus, from the abundance of the |
| 19989 | herb Cyprus (Lawsouia alba), called |
| 19990 | in the Hebrew "123, which is foimd |
| 19991 | there. (Steph. Byz. ad voc. Kiirpos. |
| 19992 | Plin. H. N. xii. 24.) According to |
| 19993 | Greek tradition, the conquest was |
| 19994 | effected by a certain Cinjn-as, a Syrian |
| 19995 | king (TheoiX)mp. Fr. Ill ; Apollod. |
| 19996 | III. xiv. § 3), whom Homer makes |
| 19997 | contemporary with Agamemnon. (II. |
| 19998 | xi. 20.) His capital was Pajihos. If |
| 19999 | we may believe Virgil, the Citta^ans |
| 20000 | soon regained their independence, for |
| 20001 | Belus, the father of Dido (more pro- |
| 20002 | perly Matgen, Menand. ap. Joseph, c. |
| 20003 | Ap. i. 18), had again to reduce the |
| 20004 | island (iEn. i. 621-2), where, accord- |
| 20005 | ing to Alexander of Ephesus, he built |
| 20006 | (rebuilt ?) the two cities of Citium and |
| 20007 | Lapethus. (See Steph. Byz. ad voc. |
| 20008 | Adn-qOos.) A hundred and iifty years |
| 20009 | afterwards we find the Cittfeans again |
| 20010 | in revolt. They had renounced their |
| 20011 | allegiance to Elulasus, king of Tyre, |
| 20012 | and were assisted in their struggle |
| 20013 | by Shalmaneser (Menand. ap. Joseph. |
| 20014 | A. J. ix. 14), or more probably Sargon, |
| 20015 | his sirccessor, whose well-known in- |
| 20016 | scrijition, found in Cyprus, probably |
| 20017 | commemorates this event. After the |
| 20018 | fall of the AssjTian empire, Phoenicia |
| 20019 | seems to have recovered her supre- |
| 20020 | macy, and thenceforth Cyprus followed |
| 20021 | her fortunes ; being now attacked by |
| 20022 | Amasis as a sequel to the Phoenician |
| 20023 | wars of his predecessor (supra, ch. 161 ; |
| 20024 | cp. Diod. Sic. i. 68). So, too, when |
| 20025 | Phoenicia submitted to Cambyses, |
| 20026 | Cji^ms immediately followed her ex- |
| 20027 | ample (infra, iii. 19). Concerning the |
| 20028 | Greek colonies in Cyprus, see note on |
| 20029 | Book V. ch. 104. |
| 20030 | * Mr. Blakesley says (note ad loc.) : |
| 20031 | " It is impossible that Cyprus could |
| 20032 | have been reduced without a fleet, and |
| 20033 | E(iypt did not possess one of her oionj''' |
| 20034 | He then proceeds to speculate on the |
| 20035 | quarter whence an auxiliary naval |
| 20036 | force was at this time procured, and |
| 20037 | decides in favour of Samos. But |
| 20038 | Neco had made Egypt a naval power |
| 20039 | (supra, ch. 159), which she thence- |
| 20040 | forth continued to be. Under A pries |
| 20041 | she contended against Phoenicia (ch. |
| 20042 | 161), undoiibtedly ■^'ith her own ships, |
| 20043 | not with " some Hellenic auxiliary |
| 20044 | naval force," as Mr. Blakesley sup- |
| 20045 | poses. Her continued possession of a |
| 20046 | large navy after her conquest by the |
| 20047 | Persians is marked in vi. 6, where |
| 20048 | her vessels are engaged against the |
| 20049 | lonians, and again in vii. 89, where |
| 20050 | she furnishes 200 triremes (the largest |
| 20051 | contingent, after that of Phanicia) to |
| 20052 | the fleet of Xerxes. |
| p. 284 | |
| p. 285 | |
| 20053 | ( 279 ) |
| 20054 | APPENDIX TO BOOK 11. |
| 20055 | CHAPTER I. |
| 20056 | " THE EGYPTIANS BEFORE THE REIGN OF THEIR KING PSAMMETICHUS |
| 20057 | BELIEVED THEMSELVES TO BE THE MOST ANCIENT OF MANKIND." |
| 20058 | —Chap. 2. |
| 20059 | 1. The Egyptians from Asia. 2. Egyptian and Celtic. 3. Semitic character of |
| 20060 | Egyptian. 4. Evidences of an older language than Zend and Sanscrit. 5. |
| 20061 | Ba or Fa, and ifa, primitive cries of infiints, made into father and mother. |
| 20062 | 6. m for b. 7. Bck not to be prononnced by an imtutored child. 8. Bek, |
| 20063 | name of bread in Egypt. 9. The story told to Herodotus. 10. Claim of the |
| 20064 | Scythians to be an early race. |
| 20065 | If Egypt is not the oldest civilised nation of antiquity, it may vie |
| 20066 | with any other known in history ; and the records of its civilisation, |
| 20067 | left by the monuments, unquestionably date far before those of |
| 20068 | any other country. But the inhabitants of the valley of the |
| 20069 | Nile were not the most ancient of mankind, they evidently |
| 20070 | derived their origin from Asia ; and the parent stock, from which |
| 20071 | they were a very early offset, claim a higher antiquity in the |
| 20072 | history of the human race. Their skull shoAvs them to have |
| 20073 | been of the Caucasian stock, and distinct from the African tribes |
| 20074 | Westward of the Nile ; and they are evidently related to the |
| 20075 | oldest races of Central Asia. (See note ® on ch. 15.) The Egyp- |
| 20076 | tian language might, from its grammar, appear to claim a Semitic |
| 20077 | origin, but it is not really one of that family, like the Arabic, |
| 20078 | Hebrew, and others ; nor is it one of the languages of the |
| 20079 | Sanscritic family, though it shows a primitive aflfinity to the |
| 20080 | Sanscrit in certain points ; and this has been accounted for by the |
| 20081 | Egyptians being an offset from the early "undivided Asiatic |
| 20082 | stock;" — a conclusion consistent with the fact of their language |
| 20083 | being "much less developed than the Semitic and Sanscritic, |
| 20084 | and yet admitting the principle of those inflexions and radical |
| 20085 | formations, which we find developed, sometimes in one, some- |
| 20086 | times in the other, of those great families." Besides certain |
| 20087 | affinities with the Sanscrit, it has others with the Celtic, and |
| 20088 | the languages of Africa ; and Dr. Ch. Meyer thinks that Celtic |
| p. 286 | |
| 20089 | 280 ZEND AND SANSCRIT DERIVATIVE. App. Book IT, |
| 20090 | "in all its non-Sanscritic features most strikingly corresponds |
| 20091 | with the old Egyptian." It is also the opinion of M. Miiller |
| 20092 | that the Egyptian bears an affinity " both to the Arian and |
| 20093 | Semitic dialects," from its having been an offset of the original |
| 20094 | Asiatic tongue, which was their common parent before this was |
| 20095 | broken up into the Turanian, Arian, and Semitic. |
| 20096 | 3. In its grammatical construction, Egyptian has the greatest |
| 20097 | resemblance to the Semitic ; and if it has less of this character |
| 20098 | than the Hebrew, and other purely Semitic dialects, this is |
| 20099 | explained by the latter having been developed after the separa- |
| 20100 | tion of the original tongue into Arian and Semitic, and by the |
| 20101 | Egyptian having retained a portion of both elements. There is, |
| 20102 | however, a possibility that the Egyptian may have been a com- |
| 20103 | pound language, formed from two or more after the first migration |
| 20104 | of the race ; and foreign elements may have been then added to |
| 20105 | it, as in the case of some other languages. |
| 20106 | It is also interesting to observe that while the Semitic lan- |
| 20107 | guages are confined to the south-west part of Asia, including |
| 20108 | Mesopotamia, Syria, and Arabia, the same elements are met |
| 20109 | with in the languages of Africa. |
| 20110 | 4. Though Zend and Sanscrit are the oldest languages of the Indo- |
| 20111 | European family, still these two are offsets of an older primitive |
| 20112 | one ; and among other evidences of this may be mentioned the |
| 20113 | changes that words had already undergone in Zend and Sanscrit |
| 20114 | from the original form they had in the parent tongue ; as in the |
| 20115 | number " twenty," which being in the Zend " Visaiti" and in |
| 20116 | Sanscrit " Vinsati,^' shows that they have thrown off the "d " of |
| 20117 | the original dva, " two," of dvisaiti, and of dvinsati (as the Latin |
| 20118 | " viginti " is a corrupted form of " dviginti") ; and this is the more |
| 20119 | remarkable as the original form is maintained in the " dvadeset," |
| 20120 | or " dvaes," of the Slavonic ; and " twice " in Sanscrit is dvis. |
| 20121 | Another evidence is obtained from the Sanscrit verb asmi, "I |
| 20122 | am," where sm^ti, " they are," is put for asanti, &c. |
| 20123 | The word "Bekos" is thought to be Phrygian; and Strabo, |
| 20124 | following Hipponax, says it was the Cyprian word for bread, |
| 20125 | (vii. p. 340.) |
| 20126 | • Larcher remarks that deprived of its Greek termination, "os," |
| 20127 | and reduced to " Bek," it looks like an imitation of the bleating |
| 20128 | of the goats, which the children had been accustomed t6 hear ; |
| 20129 | but it might rather be considered one of the two primitive sounds |
| 20130 | 5. (ba or pa, and ma) first uttered by infants, which have been the |
| 20131 | origin of the names of father and mother in the earliest offsets |
| p. 287 | |
| 20132 | Chap. I. BEK AN EGYPTIAN WORD. 281 |
| 20133 | from the parent language of mankind : thus matar {Zend) ; matar |
| 20134 | (Samer.) ; mater (Lat), and (xriTr,q (Gr.) ; muder {Germ.) ; mator |
| 20135 | {Slav); mam {Welsh); urn {Heb. and Arab); amma {Tamil)', |
| 20136 | eme " woman " {Mongol, whence the terminations of khanem |
| 20137 | and begum) ; ima "wife" {OstiaTc) ; ema "mother" {Finnish) ; |
| 20138 | ema " female " (il!f(r/^?/rtr) ; hime ^|/V\€ " wife," "woman," and |
| 20139 | mau (t-mau, mau-t), " mother " {Egyi^tian^ |
| 20140 | The same with ah, or ixi ; and though it has been observed |
| 20141 | that Greek and Sanscrit have the verbs of similar meaning itoioj |
| 20142 | and txxco, pa and ma ; and that Tnirviq, /A^r-n^, pitar, matar, are |
| 20143 | regularly formed ; the existence of the same roots in other |
| 20144 | languages claims for them a far earlier origin ; and they were |
| 20145 | borrowed from the first efforts of the infant's speech. |
| 20146 | It is remarkable that the two consonants which begin these |
| 20147 | sounds "ha,'' "ma," are commutable labials, "b" being fre- 6. |
| 20148 | quently put for " m,'' in many languages ; as in ancient Egypt, |
| 20149 | chnubis for chnumis ; Gemnoute changed into Sebennytus and |
| 20150 | Semenhoud ; the river Bagradas converted into Magradah ; the |
| 20151 | Mandela into Bardela, and many others ; and the modern Greeks, |
| 20152 | who have no " b," are obliged to introduce an " m " before a |
| 20153 | " p," to imitate the sound, — fahrica being written by them |
| 20154 | phamprika. The natural sound, then, at the beginning of the word |
| 20155 | hek might have been pronounced by a child, but not the " k," 7. |
| 20156 | unless instructed to make the necessary artificial effort ; and one |
| 20157 | untaught to speak would not have the power of uttering any but |
| 20158 | labial sounds. The fact, therefore, of the children not being able |
| 20159 | to go beyond " be," the beginning of the word, renders the story |
| 20160 | doubtful ; and still less can we believe that the Egyptians gave |
| 20161 | precedence to the Phrygians from the use of the word hek; since |
| 20162 | their own word "oik," "ak," "cake," " bread," or with the definite 8. |
| 20163 | article poik (pronounced in Coptic hayk, like our word " hake ") |
| 20164 | would be at once construed, by a people already convinced that |
| 20165 | they were the oldest of men, into a proof of their own claims ; for |
| 20166 | those cakes of bread were used by the Egyptians in all their |
| 20167 | offerings to the gods. The story, then, may be considered one 9. |
| 20168 | of the many current among the Greek ciceroni in Egypt, which |
| 20169 | were similar to those concocted at the present day in the |
| 20170 | " Frank quarter " of an eastern city ; and we may acquit |
| 20171 | Psammetichus of ignorance of his own, as well as of other, |
| 20172 | lanfjuages. |
| 20173 | And though Herodotus says he learnt the story itself from |
| p. 288 | |
| 20174 | 282 ANTIQUriT OF RACES OF CENTRAL ASIA. App. Book II. |
| 20175 | the priests of Memphis, it is evident that, being ignorant of the |
| 20176 | language, he was at the mercy of an interpreter. |
| 20177 | 10. Justin (ii. 1) and Ammianus Marcellinus (xxii. 15) also men- |
| 20178 | tion a question between the Egyptians and Scythians respecting |
| 20179 | their comparative antiquity, which was considered with some |
| 20180 | show of reason to end in favour of the latter, as they inhabited |
| 20181 | those high lands of Central Asia, naturally the first freed from |
| 20182 | the water that once covered the earth, and therefore the first in- |
| 20183 | habited ; and the antiquity of the races of Central Asia is fully |
| 20184 | borne out by modern ethnological researches. — [G. W] |
| 20185 | i |
| p. 289 | |
| 20186 | (!llAl'. II. |
| 20187 | INVENTION OF THE YEAR. |
| 20188 | 283 |
| 20189 | CHAPTER 11. |
| 20190 | "THK EGYPTIANS WERE THE FIRST TO DISCOVER THE SOLAR |
| 20191 | YEAR."— Chap. 4. |
| 20192 | (See note * on Chap. 51, and below, Appendix, Cii. vii.) |
| 20193 | 1. The 12 months in Egypt. 2. Years of 360, 365, and 365^ clays. 3. The three |
| 20194 | season.s. 4. Length of the year corrected. 5. Sothic year. 6. The year of |
| 20195 | 365 days. 7. The dates of kings' reigns. 8. The Square or Sothic year. |
| 20196 | 9. The Lunar year. 10. The Ai-ab year. 11. The Jewish year. 12. Inter- |
| 20197 | calation of the Egyptians and Gi-eeks. |
| 20198 | Though Herodotus does not call the twelve portions, into which l . |
| 20199 | the Egyptian year was divided, months, it is certain that the |
| 20200 | original division was taken as among most other people from the |
| 20201 | moon ; the hieroglyphic signifying "month" being the crescent. |
| 20202 | The Egyptians had three years : one unintercalated, of 360 days ; |
| 20203 | and two intercalated, respectively of 365 and 365 i days. They 2. |
| 20204 | were divided into three seasons ( " spring, summer, and winter," |
| 20205 | according to Diodorus, i. 11), each composed of four months of |
| 20206 | 30 days ; and in the two intercalated years five days were added |
| 20207 | at the end of the twelfth month, which completed the 365 days ; |
| 20208 | the quarter day in the last of them being added every fourth |
| 20209 | year, as in our leap-year. |
| 20210 | The three seasons were thus represented with the four months 3 |
| 20211 | belonging to each : — |
| 20212 | © |
| 20213 | nil )(( |
| 20214 | A/V\AA |
| 20215 | III )4( |
| 20216 | /VVVVV |
| 20217 | LM |
| 20218 | 9 .A, /v^v^ |
| 20219 | IlIJ |
| 20220 | 4. Choeak. |
| 20221 | 3. Atlior. |
| 20222 | 2. Paopi. |
| 20223 | 1. Thoth. |
| 20224 | cm |
| 20225 | A/VVV\ |
| 20226 | III )l( |
| 20227 | II id |
| 20228 | I Xc |
| 20229 | 8. Phaniiuthi. |
| 20230 | 7. Phamenopli. |
| 20231 | 6. Mechir. |
| 20232 | 5. Tobi. |
| 20233 | A*A^I. Ill' |
| 20234 | ^^S:;:^ /ww\ |
| 20235 | AAAA/\ I I I f( |
| 20236 | ^:^S^ /wvv\ ^ |
| 20237 | AAAAA |
| 20238 | '1. A |
| 20239 | i2. Mesore. |
| 20240 | 11. F.pcp |
| 20241 | 10. Paoni. |
| 20242 | )k |
| 20243 | 9. Paclions. |
| 20244 | The first season began with the month Thoth (the first day of |
| p. 290 | |
| 20245 | 284 FIRST INTERCALATED YEAR. App. Book XL |
| 20246 | which, in the time of Augustus, RC. 24, coincided with the 29th |
| 20247 | August, 0. s.), and was composed of the four months Thoth, Paopi, |
| 20248 | Athor, Choeak; the second of Tobi, Mechir, Pharaenoth, Phar- |
| 20249 | muthi; the third of Pachons, Paoui, Epep, and Mesore; at the end |
| 20250 | of which were added the five days of the intercalated year. The |
| 20251 | names of the seasons appear to be, 1st, of the plants ; 2nd, of |
| 20252 | flowering, or harvest, and 3rd, of the waters, or inundation ; which |
| 20253 | originall)' corresponded nearly to 1°, November, December, Ja- |
| 20254 | nuary and February ; 2°, March, April, May and June ; 8°, July, |
| 20255 | 4. August, September and October. But as, in course of time, the |
| 20256 | seasons changed, and those of summer fell in winter, they found |
| 20257 | it necessary to make another correction ; and for this purpose |
| 20258 | they resolved on ascertaining the period that elapsed between |
| 20259 | the return of a fixed star to the same place in the heavens, |
| 20260 | which they perceived would not be variable as were their conven- |
| 20261 | 5. tional seasons. The heliacal rising of the dog-star, Sothis, was |
| 20262 | therefore the point fixed upon, and in 1460 Sothic (or 1461 of |
| 20263 | their vague) years, they found that it rose again heliacally, that |
| 20264 | their seasons had returned to their original places again, and |
| 20265 | that they had lost one whole year, according to the calculation of |
| 20266 | 365 days. This showed them that the difference of a quarter |
| 20267 | of a day annually required that one day every four years should |
| 20268 | be intercalated to complete the true year ; and though they had |
| 20269 | already devised other means of fixing the return of a certain |
| 20270 | period of the year, this was the first nearly accurate determination |
| 20271 | 6. of its length. The period when they first began their observa- |
| 20272 | tions, as well as that still more remote one when the first inter- |
| 20273 | calated year of 365 days came into use, must have been long |
| 20274 | before the year 1322 B. C. ; and an inscription (in the Turin |
| 20275 | Museum) of the time of Amunoph I., the second king of the |
| 20276 | 18th dynasty, mentions the year of 365 days. LeiDsius and M. |
| 20277 | de Rouge have also shown that the five days were already |
| 20278 | noticed in the 12th dynasty, and that the rite of Sothis was |
| 20279 | celebrated at the same period. The heliacal rising of Sothis was |
| 20280 | therefore ascertained long before the year 1322 ; and the reputed |
| 20281 | antiquity of the intercalary days is sho"v\"n by their being ascribed, |
| 20282 | according to Strabo, to Hermes ; as well as by the fable of the |
| 20283 | five sons of Seb having been born on those days ; nor would the |
| 20284 | Egyptian kings have " sworn to retain the sacred year of 365 days |
| 20285 | without intercalating any day or month," unless the Sothic year |
| 20286 | had been already invented. Herodotus also says that they were |
| 20287 | indebted to the stars for their mode of adjusting the year and |
| p. 291 | |
| 20288 | Chap. II. DIFFERENT YEARS. 285 |
| 20289 | its seasons. But there is reason to believe that the still older 7. |
| 20290 | year of 360 days was retained for the dates of kings' reigns ; |
| 20291 | and that this unintercalated year of 360 days was the one used |
| 20292 | in their records and monumental stelae : thus, an Apis was |
| 20293 | born in the 53rd year of Psammetichus I., the 19th Mechir, and |
| 20294 | died in the 16th year of Neco on the 6th Paopi, aged 16 years, |
| 20295 | 7 months, and 17 days. Now from 19 Mechir to 6 Paopi are |
| 20296 | 210 days + H to the end of Mechir + 6 of Paopi = 227, or |
| 20297 | 7 months 17 days over the 16 years; without any intercalary |
| 20298 | 5 days. It is, however, possible that the 5 days were included |
| 20299 | in the last month of the year, and that it was a year of 365 |
| 20300 | days ; but there is no mention of the 31st, or any other day |
| 20301 | beyond the 30th, of Mdsor^. |
| 20302 | The Sothic year of 365^ days was called the square year, 8. |
| 20303 | the annus quadratus of Pliny (ii. 47) ; and the same mentioned |
| 20304 | by Diodorus (i. 50), Macrobius (i. 16), and Horapollo. It |
| 20305 | appears to be represented in hieroglyphics by a square |
| 20306 | J instead of the sun J^ of the two vague years. The |
| 20307 | retention of the unintercalated and intercalated vague year would |
| 20308 | prevent the confusion which might have been expected from |
| 20309 | the older and later chronological memoirs having been kept in |
| 20310 | .years of a different reckoning ; for it was always easy to turn |
| 20311 | these last into Sothic years, when more accurate calculations |
| 20312 | were required ; and this Sothic, or sidereal year, was reserved |
| 20313 | for particular occasions, as the old Coistic year is used by the |
| 20314 | modern Egyptians when they wish to fix any particular period, |
| 20315 | or to ascertain the proper season for agricultural purposes. |
| 20316 | The Egyptians had therefore an object in retaining the vague |
| 20317 | year, in order that the festivals of the gods, in course of time, |
| 20318 | might pass through the different seasons of the year, as Geminus |
| 20319 | the Rhodian (who lived in 77 B.C.) informs us. It is also evident, |
| 20320 | that without the accuracy of the Sothic year they could not, as |
| 20321 | Herodotus supposes, have fixed the exact return of the seasons. |
| 20322 | We may conclude, that the Egyptians had at first a lunar year, 9. |
| 20323 | which being regulated by the moon, and divided into 12 moons, |
| 20324 | or months, led to a month being ever after represented in hiero- |
| 20325 | glyphics by a moon ; but this would only have been at a most |
| 20326 | remote period before the establishment of the Egyptian monarchy; |
| 20327 | and some might hence derive an argument in favour of the early |
| 20328 | use of hieroglyphics, and suppose that they were invented before |
| p. 292 | |
| 20329 | 286 COMPARISON OF GKEEK AND EGYPTIAN YEAR. App. B. II. |
| 20330 | the introduction of the solar months. In India also the lunar |
| 20331 | year was older than the solar. |
| 20332 | 10. The lunar year still continues in use among the Arabs, and |
| 20333 | other Moslems, and the origin of a month has been the same in |
| 20334 | many countries ; but their year is only of 354 days. The Aztecs, |
| 20335 | again, had months of 13 days, of which 1461 made their cycle |
| 20336 | of 52 years, by which the supernumerary quarter day was accu- |
| 20337 | rately adjusted. But though the Arabs always used lunar |
| 20338 | months, it has been ascertained by Mr. Lane, and by M. Caussin |
| 20339 | de Perceval, that their years were intercalated for about two |
| 20340 | centuries, until the 10th year of the Hegira, when the intercala- |
| 20341 | tion was discontinued by Mohammed's order; so that the usual |
| 20342 | mode of adjusting Arab chronology with our own is not quite |
| 20343 | correct. |
| 20344 | 11. It is a singular fact, that Moses in describing the abatement |
| 20345 | of the waters of the Deluge, calculates five months at 150 days |
| 20346 | (Gen. viii. 3, 4), or 30 days to a month, being the same as the |
| 20347 | unintercalated Egyptian year ; the lunar however was that first |
| 20348 | used by the Hebrews ; and, as in other languages, their name |
| 20349 | for the moon signified also a month. The lunar year of the |
| 20350 | Jews consisted of 12 months, which began (as with the Aral)s) |
| 20351 | directly the new moon appeared ; they varied in their length, |
| 20352 | and in order to rectify the loss of the 11 days, in the real length |
| 20353 | of the year, they added a thirteenth month every third, and |
| 20354 | sometimes every second year, to make up the deficiency, so that |
| 20355 | their months and festivals did not (like those of the Arabs') go |
| 20356 | through the various seasons of the year. |
| 20357 | 12. Herodotus considers the intercalation of the Egyptians better |
| 20358 | than that of the Greeks, who added a month at the end of everv |
| 20359 | 2nd year, making them alternately of 12 and 13 months. This |
| 20360 | indeed would cause an excess, which the omission of I month |
| 20361 | every 8th year by the Greeks would not rectify. (See Censorinus, |
| 20362 | de Die Nat. c. 18.) Herodotus calculates the Greek months at |
| 20363 | 30 days each, and the 12 months at 360 days, when he says 70 |
| 20364 | years, without including intercalary months, are 25,200 days, L e. |
| 20365 | 360 X 70, which, he adds, the 35 intercalary months will increase |
| 20366 | by 1050 days (35 X 30), making a total of 26,250 days for 70 |
| 20367 | years. This would be 375 days to the year. (See n. '■^j ch. 32, |
| 20368 | Bk. i.) On the Greek intercalation see Macrobius, Saturn, i. 14, |
| 20369 | who says the Greeks made their year of 354 days, and perceiving |
| 20370 | that 11 1 days were wanting to the true year, they added liO' days, |
| 20371 | or 3 months, every 8 years. Strabo (xvii. p. 554) says the Greeks |
| p. 293 | |
| 20372 | Chap. II. ARCADIAN AND LUNAR YEAR. 287 |
| 20373 | were ignorant (of the true length) of the year until Endoxus |
| 20374 | was in Egypt ; and this was in the late time of the 2nd Nec- |
| 20375 | tanebo, about B.C. 360 ; and Macrobius affirms that the Egyp- |
| 20376 | tians always possessed the true calculation of the length of the |
| 20377 | year, — "anni certus modus apud solos semper ^gyptios fuit." |
| 20378 | (Saturn, i. 7.) He then mentions the primitive year amono- |
| 20379 | other people — as the Arcadians, who divided it into 3 months ; |
| 20380 | other Greeks making it consist of 354 days (a lunar year) ; and |
| 20381 | the Romans under Romulus, who divided it into 10 months, |
| 20382 | beginning with March. — [G. W.] |
| p. 294 | |
| 20383 | 288 ORDERS OF THE GODS. App. Book II. |
| 20384 | CHAPTER III. |
| 20385 | «' THE EGYPTIANS FIRST BROUGHT INTO USE THE NAMES OF THE |
| 20386 | TWELVE GODS WHICH THE GREEKS ADOPTED FROM THEM."— |
| 20387 | Chap. 4. |
| 20388 | 1. DifTerent orders of Gods. 2. The great Gois of the first order. 3, The second |
| 20389 | order. 4. Place of Re, or the Sun. 5. Classification of the Gods. 6. Sa- |
| 20390 | bseism not a part of the Egyptian religion. 7. Pantheism. 8. Name of Re, |
| 20391 | Phi-ah, and Pharaoh. 9. Position of Re in the second order. 10. Rank of |
| 20392 | Osiris. 11. Children of Seb. 12. The third order. 13. The other most |
| 20393 | noted deities. 14. Other Gods. 15. Foreign divinities. 16. Chief God of a |
| 20394 | city and the triad. 17. Deities multiplied to a great extent — the unity. |
| 20395 | 18. Offices of the Deity — chai-acters of Jupiter. 19. Resemblances of Gods |
| 20396 | to be traced from one original. 20. Subdivision of the Deity — local Gods. |
| 20397 | 21. Personifications — Nature Gods. 22. Sacred trees and mountains. 23. |
| 20398 | Common origin of religious systems. 24. Greek philosophy. 25. Creation |
| 20399 | and eai'ly state of the earth. |
| 20400 | 1. It is evident that some gods held a higher rank throughout the |
| 20401 | country than others, and that many were of minor importance, |
| 20402 | while some were merely local divinities. But it is not certain |
| 20403 | that the great gods were limited to 8, or the 2nd rank to 1 2 ; |
| 20404 | there are also proofs of some, reputed to belong to the 2nd |
| 20405 | and 3rd orders, holding a higher position than this gradation |
| 20406 | would sanction, and two of different orders are combined, or sub- |
| 20407 | stituted for each other. It is not possible to arrange all the gods |
| 20408 | in the 3 orders as stated by Herodotus, nor can the 12 have been |
| 20409 | all bom of the 8 ; there was however some distinction of the |
| 20410 | kind, the 8 agreeing with the 8 Cabiri {i.e. "gTeat" gods) of the |
| 20411 | Phoenicians (see note ^ on ch. 51), and the others with the 12 |
| 20412 | gods of Olympus, and the Consentes of the Romans ; though it is |
| 20413 | 2. uncertain how this arrangement applied to them. Those who |
| 20414 | have the best claim to a place among the 8 Great Gods are, — 1. |
| 20415 | Amun ; 2. Maut ; 3. Noum, or Nou (Noub, Nef, Kneph) ; 4. |
| 20416 | Sate ; 5. Pthah ; 6. Neith ; 7. Khem ; 8. Pasht, who seems also |
| 20417 | to combine the character of Buto, under whose name she was |
| 20418 | worshipped at Bubastis. |
| 20419 | 1. Amun, the Great God of Thebes, " the King of the Gods," |
| 20420 | answered to Jupiter ; 2. 3Iaiit, the "Mother" of all, or the maternal |
| 20421 | principle (probably the mot of Sanconiatho, see App. Book iii- |
| p. 295 | |
| 20422 | Chap. III. GODS OF THE FIRST ORDER. 289 |
| 20423 | Essay i. § 3, II), appears to be sometimes a character of Biito |
| 20424 | (Latona), primoBval darkness, from which sprang light ; 3. Noum, |
| 20425 | Nu, Nou (or Nou-bai ? called also Noub, Nef, Kneph, Cnui3his, |
| 20426 | and Chnubis, the ram-headed god), who was also considered to |
| 20427 | answer to Jupiter, as his companion (4) SdtS did to Juno, was |
| 20428 | the Great God of the Cataracts, of Ethiopia, and of the Oases ; |
| 20429 | and in later temples, especially of Koman time, he often received |
| 20430 | the name of Amun : — the " contortis cornibus Amnion." (See |
| 20431 | notes on ch. 29, 42, Book ii., and on ch. 181, Book iv.) There |
| 20432 | is a striking resemblance between the Semitic nef, "breath," |
| 20433 | and the Coptic nibe, nifi, nouf, "spiritus;" and between the |
| 20434 | hieroglyphic num (with the article pnum), and the ttmbvixcx., |
| 20435 | " spirit," which Diodorus says w^as the name of the Egyptian |
| 20436 | Jupiter. He was the " soul of the world" (comp. " mens agitat |
| 20437 | molem, et magno se corpore miscet"). The ram, his emblem, |
| 20438 | stands for hai "soul," and hence the Asp also received the |
| 20439 | name of Bait. The "If" of Kneph is evidently a corrupt |
| 20440 | addition, as Knoub for Noub ; the change of m and b in Noub is |
| 20441 | easily explained (see above, in CH.i. §6); and the name "Noub" |
| 20442 | is perhaps connected with Nubia as well as with gold. The very |
| 20443 | general introduction of the ram's head on the prow of the sacred |
| 20444 | boats, or arks, of other gods, seems to point to the early and |
| 20445 | universal worship of this God, and to connect him, as his mys- |
| 20446 | terious boat does, with the spirit that moved on tlie waters. He |
| 20447 | is said to be Agathodemon, and the Asp being his emblem, con- |
| 20448 | firms this statement of Eusebius. |
| 20449 | 5. Ptliak was the creative power, the maker of all material |
| 20450 | things, " the father of the gods," and assimilated by the Greeks, |
| 20451 | through a gross notion of the Lri(jnQv^yos, or Opifex Mundi, to |
| 20452 | their Hephfestus (Vulcan). He was the god of Memphis. He |
| 20453 | had not so high a rank in Greece, nor in India, where Agni |
| 20454 | {ignis of Latin, ogan " fire" of Slavonic) was an inferior deity to |
| 20455 | Mahadeva, or Siva. |
| 20456 | 6. Neitli, the goddess of Sais, answered to Athene or Minerva ; |
| 20457 | she was self-bom, and ag^revoOyjXi/r, she therefore sometimes |
| 20458 | had the sceptre given to male deities. (See note ' on ch. 62, |
| 20459 | Book ii.) |
| 20460 | 7. Khem, the generative principle, and universal nature, was |
| 20461 | represented as a phallic figure. He was the god of Coptos, the |
| 20462 | " riav 0r)/3a)v," and the Pan of Chemmis (Panopolis) — the Egyp- |
| 20463 | tian Pan, who, as Herodotus justly observes (ch. 145, Book ii.), |
| 20464 | was one of the 8 great gods. Of him is said in the hieroglyphic |
| 20465 | VOL. n. u |
| p. 296 | |
| 20466 | 290 GODS OF THE SECOND ORDER. App. Book II. |
| 20467 | legend, "thy title is 'father of thine own father.'" (See notes |
| 20468 | '' and ^ on ch. 42, and App. Book iii. Essay i. § 11.) |
| 20469 | 8. Pasht, Bubastis, answered to Artemis, or Diana ; as at the |
| 20470 | Speos Artemidos. |
| 20471 | It is not easy to determine the 12 gods of the 2nd order ; and |
| 20472 | I only do this temporarily, as I have long since done in my |
| 20473 | Materia Hierogiyphica (p. 58) ; but I must not omit to state |
| 20474 | that they do not appear always to have been the same, and that the |
| 20475 | children of the 8 great gods do not necessarily hold a place among |
| 20476 | those of the 2nd order. (For the form of those of the other gods, |
| 20477 | whose names are mentioned below, see At. Eg.W., vol. v., Plates.) |
| 20478 | The 12 deities of the most importance after the 8, and who |
| 20479 | may have been those of the 2nd order, are : — |
| 20480 | 1. Re, Ra, or Phrah, the Sun, the father of many deities, and |
| 20481 | combined with others of the 1st, 2nd, and even 3rd order. |
| 20482 | 2. Seh, Chronos, or Saturn. He was also the Earth. Being |
| 20483 | the father of Osu'is, and other deities of the 3rd order, he was |
| 20484 | called " father of the gods." The goose was his emblem. (See |
| 20485 | note 9 ch. 72.) |
| 20486 | 3. Netpe, Rhea, wife of Seb. She was the Vault of Heaven, |
| 20487 | and was called " mother of the gods." |
| 20488 | 4. Khons, the 3rd member of the Great Triad of Thebes, com- |
| 20489 | posed of Amun, Maut, and Khons their offspring. He is sup- |
| 20490 | posed to be a character of Hercules, and also of the Moon. In |
| 20491 | the Etymologicum Magnum, Hercules is called Chon. |
| 20492 | 5. AnouJce, Estia, or Vesta, the 3rd member of the Great Triad |
| 20493 | of the Cataracts, composed of Noum (Nou), Sate, and Anouke. |
| 20494 | (See note ^ on ch. 62.) Estia is Festia with the digamma. |
| 20495 | 6. Atmou, Atmoo, Atum, or Atm, is " Darkness," the Sun after |
| 20496 | sunset (comp. Atmeh, " darkness," Arabic) sol inferus, and called |
| 20497 | Re-Atum. Mr. Birch thinks him the negative principle, tern |
| 20498 | signifying "not." |
| 20499 | 7. Moid, apparently the same as Gom or Hercules, the splen- |
| 20500 | dour and light of the Sun, and therefore called a "son of Re." |
| 20501 | 8. Tafne (Daphne), or Tafne-t, a lion-headed goddess, per- |
| 20502 | haps the same as Thriphis, who is with Khem at Athribis and |
| 20503 | Panopolis. |
| 20504 | 9. Thoth, the intellect ; Hermes or Mercury ; the Moon |
| 20505 | (Lunus), a male god as in India ; and Time in the sense of |
| 20506 | passing jDcriod. Auubis is also Time, past and future. (Plutarch |
| 20507 | de Is. s. 44.) |
| 20508 | 10. Savak, the crocodile-headed god, often called Savak-Re. |
| p. 297 | |
| 20509 | Chap. III. OTHER GODS. 291 |
| 20510 | 11. Eileithyia, Ilithyia, or Lucina, Seben, Seneb, or Neben, |
| 20511 | 12. Mandoo, 3Iandou, or Blunt (Mars), quite distinct from |
| 20512 | Mandulis or Malouli of Kalabshi (Talmis), where both gods are |
| 20513 | represented. From him Hermonthis received its name. |
| 20514 | I had formerly placed Re among the 8 great gods, instead of 4. |
| 20515 | Pasht, or Bubastis ; but the position she held as second member |
| 20516 | of the Great Triad of Memphis, gives her the same ckim as |
| 20517 | Maut, the consort of Amun. I am much disposed to make |
| 20518 | a separate class of deities connected with Re ; who has a different |
| 20519 | name at his rising, at his meridian height, and at night.- He |
| 20520 | is also the solar disc, and the shining sun or solar light (JJbn-re). |
| 20521 | The Sun-worshippers, or Stranger Kings of the 18th dynasty bad |
| 20522 | a triad composed of Atin-re, Moid (solar splendour), and Re. |
| 20523 | Besides other characters, he is the soul of the world ; his title Re |
| 20524 | is added to the names of other gods ; and several deities are sons |
| 20525 | and daughters of the Sun, In these offices they are distinct from |
| 20526 | the deified attributes of the ideal, or primary god, which are |
| 20527 | necessarily of a different nature from the Sun-gods. There is at |
| 20528 | the same time a point of union between some of those attributes |
| 20529 | and certain characters of the Sun, or Re ; who is connected with |
| 20530 | maiiy gods of the first, second, and third orders ; — Amun had |
| 20531 | the name Amun-Re ; Nou (or Noum) was Noum-Re, and even |
| 20532 | Atin-Re ; and the additional title of Re is also assigned to deities |
| 20533 | of the 2nd order, as to Savak, Mandou, and others. |
| 20534 | In giving three orders I have been guided by Herodotus, 5. |
| 20535 | though it is evident the numerous gods of Egypt were not con- |
| 20536 | fined to that number. If such were the sole classification, the |
| 20537 | gi'eater part of the deities would be altogether omitted ; and |
| 20538 | it is impossible to make them accord with his orders, even |
| 20539 | if we allow many of them to be rej)etitions of the same god |
| 20540 | under other characters. For some were characters of the deities |
| 20541 | belonging to the 1st or 2nd orders ; but even then they were |
| 20542 | distinct, and members of some other group ; as all the attributes |
| 20543 | of the one God became distinct deities. Nor can all those con- |
| 20544 | nected with the Sun be classified under one group. They may |
| 20545 | however claim a separate arrangement, like the Osiride family, |
| 20546 | which is supposed to form the third order ; and this distinct |
| 20547 | classification of Sun-gods might be used to explain the nature of |
| 20548 | several important members of the Egyptian Pantheon. |
| 20549 | Though actual Sabaeism was not a part of the religion of the |
| 20550 | Egyptians, and the worship of the Sun and Moon was of a |
| 20551 | different kind, still it may have been connected with their earlier 6. |
| 20552 | u 2 |
| p. 298 | |
| 20553 | 292 STAR A.ND PRAYER — PANTHEISM. App. Book IT. |
| 20554 | belief ; which may be inferred from the idea of " prayer" being |
| 20555 | represented in hieroglyphics by a man holding up his hands, |
| 20556 | accompanied by a star. It is not impossible that when they |
| 20557 | immigrated into the Yalley of the Nile they may have brought |
| 20558 | with them that Asiatic suijerstition, combined with some purer |
| 20559 | notions which they had of the Deity ; |
| 20560 | yA^ but afterwards having endeavoured to |
| 20561 | reconcile the notion of physical and ma- |
| 20562 | terial, with ideal and incorporeal gods, |
| 20563 | they abandoned their earlier mode of |
| 20564 | worshipping the Sun and Moon. This |
| 20565 | last seems to accord ^vith their religion |
| 20566 | as we see it on their monuments ; where |
| 20567 | the Sun was chiefly looked upon as the visible representative of |
| 20568 | the generative, or vivifying, principle of Nature. The disc of the |
| 20569 | Sun and the crescent of the Moon were placed as emblems on |
| 20570 | the heads of gods, and elsewhere ; as the name of Ee (the |
| 20571 | " Sun") was appended to their titles ; and these deities received |
| 20572 | a worship, but it was not Sabaaism, and no notice was taken of |
| 20573 | the stars as objects of adoration. And when some " Stranger |
| 20574 | Kings" from Asia re-introduced the worship of the real Sun's |
| 20575 | disc, the innovation was odious to the Egyptians, and was |
| 20576 | expelled for ever with the usurpers who had forcibly established |
| 20577 | it in the country. Macrobius, indeed, endeavours to show that |
| 20578 | nearly all the gods corresponded to the Sun ; and Chergemon |
| 20579 | thinks " the Egyptians had no gods but the Sun and planets ; |
| 20580 | and that all related to physical operations, having no reference |
| 20581 | to incorporeal and living essences" (Eus. Pr. Evang. iii. 4). But |
| 20582 | this correspondence was distinct from Sabseism; and if many |
| 20583 | gods did " correspond to the sun," still the Sabcean worship of |
| 20584 | the Sun and stars was not the religion of the Egyptians even |
| 20585 | in the earliest times of which any monuments remain. Many |
| 20586 | deities were characters of the Sun; and its daily course from its |
| 20587 | rising to its setting, and at different periods of the year (as well |
| 20588 | as certain phieiiomena — its supposed offspring), gave rise to |
| 20589 | beings who may be classed— aniQiioL_Nature-Gods ; as in the |
| 20590 | mythology of India and Greece. |
| 20591 | The Egyjjtians, as they advanced in religious speculation, |
| 20592 | adopted a Pantheism, according to which (while the belief in |
| 20593 | one Supreme Being was tauglit to the initiated) the attributes |
| 20594 | of the Deity were separated under various heads, as tlie "Cre- |
| 20595 | ator," the divine wisdom, the generative, and other principles ; |
| p. 299 | |
| 20596 | Chap. III. RE — OSIKIS. 293 |
| 20597 | and even created things, which were thought to partake of the |
| 20598 | divine essence, were permitted to receive divine worship. |
| 20599 | The name of Re is remarkable for its resemblance to the ouro, 8. |
| 20600 | " hght" of Coptic, and the Aor of Hebrew (whence the Urim, |
| 20601 | "lights") and to Horns, and Aroeris (Hor-oeri, "Horns the |
| 20602 | chief"), to har, " heat," to upx, liora, " season" or " hour," as |
| 20603 | well as to the names of the Sun in several African dialects, as |
| 20604 | Airo, ayero, eer, uiro, ghurrah, and others. It is the same as |
| 20605 | " Phrah," or Pharaoh, the Egyptian Pi-Re, " the Snn," 3Iem- |
| 20606 | fliitice Phra ; which was first suggested by the Duke of Northum- |
| 20607 | berland and Colonel Felix. Re had different characters : as the |
| 20608 | rising Sun he was a form of Horus ; at midday Re ; and Ubn-re, |
| 20609 | " the shining Sun ;" as the solar disc Atin-re ; when below the |
| 20610 | horizon Re-Atum, Atmou, or Atum, " darkness." |
| 20611 | I have stated the reasons for placing Pasht (Bubastis) among |
| 20612 | the 8 great gods in preference to Re ; and it would not only be |
| 20613 | inconsistent to place the created in the same rank as the creator, 0. |
| 20614 | but Re has Athor as the 2nd member of his principal triad, and |
| 20615 | is himself the second of a minor triad composed of Amun, Re, |
| 20616 | and Horus. Again, though Re is the father of many deities, |
| 20617 | he has no claim on this account ; since Nilus, and even Ape |
| 20618 | (Thebes), are called the "father" and "mother of the gods;" |
| 20619 | Asclepius is a son of Pthah without being one of the 12 gods; |
| 20620 | and jSTepthys is called daughter of Re in the same building |
| 20621 | where she is allowed to be the sister of Isis. These and similar |
| 20622 | relationships therefore prove no more regarding the classification |
| 20623 | of the gods, than do the facts of Pthah being called " father of |
| 20624 | the gods" (while one only, Asclepius, is mentioned as his son), |
| 20625 | and of Re not being called by that title, though there are so |
| 20626 | many deities recorded in the sculptures as his children. And if 10. |
| 20627 | Re was not one of the 8 great gods, this does not necessarily |
| 20628 | place him in an inferior position, since Osiris, who was the |
| 20629 | greatest of all, and was with Isis worshipped throughout the |
| 20630 | country, belonged to the 3rd order. For Osiris had this honour |
| 20631 | from being the god whose mysteries contained the most important |
| 20632 | secrets ; his rites comprised the chief part of the Egyptian |
| 20633 | wisdom ; he was the chief of Amenti, or Hades, and he was a |
| 20634 | heavenly as well as an infer ial deity. There was also an im- |
| 20635 | portant reason for his being of the last, or newest order of gods ; |
| 20636 | he related particularly to man, the last and most perfect work of |
| 20637 | the creation ; and as the Deity was at first the Monad, then the |
| 20638 | Creator, (" creation being God passing into activity,") he did not |
| p. 300 | |
| 20639 | 294 THIRD ORDER OF GODS. App. Book II. |
| 20640 | become Osiris until man was placed upon the earth. He there |
| 20641 | manifested himself also (like Booddha) for the benefit of man, who |
| 20642 | looked to him for happiness in a future state. (See notes ^' ^' * on |
| 20643 | ch. 171, Book ii.) |
| 20644 | It ought, however, to be observed, that the same god may |
| 20645 | belong to two different orders in two of his characters, and may- |
| 20646 | be produced from different parents. Even Maut is once called |
| 20647 | "daughter of Re," and Re is said to be "engendered by Khem," |
| 20648 | as Khem was his own father ; and Minerva at Sais proclaimed |
| 20649 | that "she proceeded from herself." But these apparent incon- |
| 20650 | sistencies are readily explained by the nature of the Egyptian |
| 20651 | mythological system. |
| 20652 | 11. If it is necessary to confine the gods of the 3rd order to the |
| 20653 | children of Seb, a fourth and other orders might also be admitted |
| 20654 | (as I have already suggested in the " Materia Hieroglyphica") ; |
| 20655 | for since those of the 2ud order are limited to twelve, it would be |
| 20656 | denying the accuracy of Herodotus, without any authority from |
| 20657 | the monuments, to class any of the numerous deities that remain |
| 20658 | tocfether with the twelve of the 2nd order. There are, how- |
| 20659 | ever, some lists of Deities on the monuments, in which eight, |
| 20660 | or sometimes twelve, are thus arranged : 1. Mandou, 2. |
| 20661 | Atmou, 3. Moui, 4. Tafne, 5. Seb, 6. Netpe, 7. Osiris, 8. |
| 20662 | Isis; or these eight with 9. Seth, 10. Nepthys, 11. Horus, and |
| 20663 | 12. Athor. |
| 20664 | 12. The 3rd order contains the children of Seb and Netpe : — |
| 20665 | 1. Osiris. 2. Aroeris, or the Elder Horus, " son of Netpe." 3. |
| 20666 | Seth (Typhon). 4. Isis. 5. Nepthys (Neb-t-ei, "lady of the |
| 20667 | house," corresponding to Vesta in one character (see note ^ on ch. |
| 20668 | 62) ; but we may perhaps include in the same order the younger |
| 20669 | Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis ; as well as Harpocrates, their |
| 20670 | infant son, the emblem of childhood ; and Anubis, the son of |
| 20671 | Osiris. The Younger Horus was the god of Victory and " the |
| 20672 | defender of his father ;" and in like manner the Greek Apollo, to |
| 20673 | whom he corresponded, was represented as a "youthful god." |
| 20674 | (Comp. Lucian de Dea Syr.) |
| 20675 | 13. Of the remaining deities the most noted were: — ]. Thmei, |
| 20676 | Mei, or Ma, in her two capacities of Truth and Justice, AUtheia |
| 20677 | and Themis, called "Daughter of the Sun," sometimes repre- |
| 20678 | sented without a head, and who ought, perhaps, to belong to the |
| 20679 | 2nd order of Deities. 2. Athor {eit-Hor, " Horus's mundane |
| 20680 | habitation") Venus, often substituted for Isis, called " Daughter |
| 20681 | of the Sun," answering to the West, or the place where the |
| p. 301 | |
| 20682 | Chap. III. OTHER GODS — TRIADS. 295 |
| 20683 | setting Sun was received into her arms. (See note ^ ch. 44, note ^ |
| 20684 | ch. 122, Book ii,, and App. Book iii. Essay i. § 1 6.) 3. Nofr-Atmou, |
| 20685 | perhaps a variation of Atmou. 4. Hor-IIat, frequently as the |
| 20686 | winged globe, one of the characters of the Sun, generally called |
| 20687 | Agathodajmon, 5. Hacte (Hecate ?), a goddess with a lion's head. |
| 20688 | 6. Selk, with a scorpion on her head. 7. Tore, a god connected |
| 20689 | with Pthah. 8. Amunta, perhaps a female Amun. 9. Tpe, "the |
| 20690 | heavens." 10. Hapi, or the god xsilus. 11. Ranno, the as2> |
| 20691 | headed goddess, perhaps a character of Agathodsemon (see Cal- |
| 20692 | met, PI. 69). 12. Hermes Trismegistus, a form of Thoth. 13. |
| 20693 | Asclepius, Motph, or " Imoph," called "the son of Pthah," pro- |
| 20694 | bably the origin of the Emeph of lamblichus. 14. Sofh, perhaps |
| 20695 | the goddess of Speech ; and about 50 more, some of whom were |
| 20696 | local divinities, as " the Land of Eg}^t ;" "the East" and "the |
| 20697 | West" (bank) ; Aj), Ape, or Tape, " Thebes ;" and the personi- |
| 20698 | fications of other cities. |
| 20699 | There were also various forms of early gods, as frog-headed 14. |
| 20700 | deities connected with Pthah ; and the offspring of local triads, as |
| 20701 | Pneb-to, Hor-pi-re, and other forms of the infant Horus ; the |
| 20702 | Apis, a form of Osiris, who was the Sarapis (i.e. Osir-Api) of |
| 20703 | Memphis, and other representations of well-known gods, together |
| 20704 | with minor divinities and genii : as Cerberus, the monster who |
| 20705 | guarded Amenti " the region of the dead ;'' the 4 genii of Amenti, |
| 20706 | with the heads of a man, a cynocephalus, a jackal, and a hawk ; |
| 20707 | the 6 spirits with the heads of hawks and jackals ; the 12 hours |
| 20708 | of day and night ; the 42 assessors at the future judgment, each |
| 20709 | of whom presided over, or bore witness to a particular sin ; and |
| 20710 | the giant Apap (Aphophis) — " the great serpent," and the em- |
| 20711 | blem of wickedness. |
| 20712 | Many of the 50 gods above alluded to were certainly of late |
| 20713 | introduction ; but those whose names I have mentioned were of |
| 20714 | early date, as well as many of minor note ; and for the figures of |
| 20715 | all the gods I must refer to my Anct. Egyptians. Some of them |
| 20716 | are called children of the Sun. There were also a few foreign |
| 20717 | deities, as Ranpo, the god of battles, and the goddess of war, 15. |
| 20718 | Anata or Anta (see Appendix of Book iii. Essay i. § 21), Astarte, |
| 20719 | and others, who were of early introduction ; but the character |
| 20720 | given to Seth, who was called Baal-Seth and the god of the |
| 20721 | Gentiles, is explained by his being the cause of evil. (See note ^ |
| 20722 | on ch. 171.) The introduction of foreign gods finds a parallel |
| 20723 | among other people of antiquity, whose readiness to adopt a |
| 20724 | god from another religion is one of the peculiarities of Poly- |
| p. 302 | |
| 20725 | 296 DIFFERENT AITRIBUTES IN ONE DEITY. App. Book II. |
| 20726 | theism; and the complacency of the Romaas on this point is |
| 20727 | well known. |
| 20728 | In each city of Egypt one deity was the chief object of wor- |
| 20729 | ship ; he was the guardian of the place, and he had the most |
| 20730 | conspicuous post in the adytum of its temple. The town had |
| 20731 | also its particular triad, composed of 3 members, the third pro- |
| 20732 | ceeding from the other two ; and the principal cities of Egypt, as |
| 20733 | Thebes and Memphis, had two of the great gods as the first mem- |
| 20734 | bers of their triads. They might be gods of any order, and the 2 |
| 20735 | first members not necessarily of the first rank ; for one of the 1st, or |
| 20736 | of the 2nd order, might be combined even with a local deity to |
| 20737 | produce the 3rd of still inferior rank in the divine scale ; and these |
| 20738 | in latter times became multiplied and brought down to a very |
| 20739 | low order of beings, the divine essence being thought to pervade |
| 20740 | in a greater or less degree all the creations of the deity. It was |
| 20741 | merely the extension of the same idea ; as an instance of which |
| 20742 | the great divine wisdom might combine with the genius of a |
| 20743 | city to produce a king. And to show how the divine and human |
| 20744 | natures of a king were thought to be distinct, he was often repre- |
| 20745 | sented offering to himself in the Egyptian sculptures, his human |
| 20746 | doinsf homaf^e to his divine character. |
| 20747 | With such views it is not surprising that the Egyptians mul- |
| 20748 | tiplied their deities to an endless extent; and plants, and even |
| 20749 | stones were thought to partake in some degree of the divine |
| 20750 | nature ; but the notion that Egyptian gods were represented as |
| 20751 | animals and not under the human form is quite erroneous, the |
| 20752 | latter being by far the most usual. Originally, indeed, they had |
| 20753 | the Unity, worshipped under a particular character ; which was |
| 20754 | the case in other countries also, each considering him their pro- |
| 20755 | tector, and giving him a peculiar form and name, though really |
| 20756 | the same one God ; and it was only when forsaken by him that |
| 20757 | they supposed their enemies were permitted to triumph over |
| 20758 | them. (Comp. also Josephus, Antiq. viii. 10. 3, of the Jews and |
| 20759 | Shishak.) But it was not long before the}' subdivided the one |
| 20760 | God, and made his attributes into different deities. In like |
| 20761 | manner the Hindoos have one supreme Being, Brahme (neuter), |
| 20762 | the great one, who, when he creates, becomes Brahma (mascu- |
| 20763 | line) ; when he manifests himself by the operation of his divine |
| 20764 | spirit, becomes Vishnu, the pervader, or Narayan, "moving on |
| 20765 | the waters," called also the first male ; when he destroys, becomes |
| 20766 | Siva, or Mahadiva, " Great God ;" and as Brahma, Vishnu, and |
| 20767 | Siva, is the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer, which last answers |
| p. 303 | |
| 20768 | Chap. Ill, DEITIES TRACEABLE TO ONE ORIGINAL. 297 |
| 20769 | to the regenerator of what only changes its form ; and reproduces |
| 20770 | what he destroys. (See Sir W. Jones, vol. i. p. 249 ; and Asiat. |
| 20771 | Res. vol. vii. p. 280 ; and my note ^ on ch. 123, Book ii.) |
| 20772 | The same original belief in one God may be observed in , |
| 20773 | Greek mythology ; and this accordance of early traditions agrees > |
| 20774 | with the Indian notion that " truth was originally deposited with |
| 20775 | men, but gradually slumbered and was forgotten ; the knowledge |
| 20776 | of it however returning like a recollection." For in Greece, |
| 20777 | Zeus was also universal, and omnipotent, the one God, contain- |
| 20778 | ing all within himself; and he was the Monad, the beginning |
| 20779 | and end of all. (Somn. Scip. c. 6 ; Aristot. de Mund. 7.) |
| 20780 | Zfiis Ke(f}aXrj' Zevs fxeaaa, Aios SVk irdvTa rervKrai. (line 2.) |
| 20781 | "Ev Kpdros, els Aaificov yevero, fj.eyas dpxps cnravTuiv. (line 8.) |
| 20782 | HdvTa yap iv p,eyaXa Zrjvos rdSe aoip-aTi Kelrai. (line 12.) |
| 20783 | Orphic Fragm. |
| 20784 | Zevs ivTtv aWrjp, Zevs 8e yi), Zevs 8' ovpavos' |
| 20785 | Zevs Toi rd ndvra, — ^Escli. Fragm. 295. |
| 20786 | (Comp. Clemens Strom, v. p. 603.) |
| 20787 | At the same time each of the various offices of the Deity was 18 |
| 20788 | known under its peculiar title. (See note A. in App. to Book i.) |
| 20789 | Jupiter was also prefixed to the names of foreign gods, as |
| 20790 | Jupiter-Ammon, Jupiter- Sarapis, Jupiter-Baal-Mark 6s, and many |
| 20791 | others ; and though the Sun had its special Deity, altars were |
| 20792 | raised to Jupiter-the-Sun. He was also the manifestation of the |
| 20793 | Deity, like Osiris, who was the son of Seb, the Saturn of the |
| 20794 | Egyptians. Thus Osiris, Amun, and Noum, though so unlike, |
| 20795 | were each supposed by the Greeks to answer to Jupiter. |
| 20796 | Hesiod, too, calls Jupiter the youngest of the Gods ; as |
| 20797 | Oshis was in the third order of Deities, though the greatest |
| 20798 | of all ; and the correspondence was completed by both being |
| 20799 | thought to have died. This notion, common to Egypt, Syria, |
| 20800 | and Crete, as to the Booddhists, and other people, is one |
| 20801 | of many instances of the occurrence of similar religious views |
| 20802 | in different countries (see notes ^' ^' ch. 171) ; but there is also |
| 20803 | evidence of the Greeks having borrowed much from Egypt |
| 20804 | in their early mythology, as well as in later times, after their |
| 20805 | religion had long been formed ; and the worship of Isis spread |
| 20806 | from Egypt to Greece and its islands, as it afterwards did to |
| 20807 | Rome, But the corrupt practices introduced at Alexandria, and |
| 20808 | more especially at Canopus, and thence carried to Europe, were |
| 20809 | no part of the Egyptian religion ; they proceeded from the gross |
| 20810 | views taken, through ignorance, of certain allegorical representa- |
| p. 304 | |
| 20811 | 298 PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF THE GEEEKS. App. Book II. |
| 20812 | tions, and were quite opposed, in their sensual and material charac- |
| 20813 | ter, to the simple expression of the hieroglyphical mind of Eg3'pt. |
| 20814 | 19- It is easy to perceive in all the religions of antiquity why so |
| 20815 | many divinities resemble each other, Avhy they differ in some |
| 20816 | points, and how they may be traced to one original ; while |
| 20817 | I others, being merely local, have a totally different character. |
| 20818 | j Though they began by subdividing the one Deity, they subse- |
| 20819 | / quently laboured to show that all the Gods were one ; and this |
| 20820 | ' last, which was one of the great mysteries of Egypt, was much |
| 20821 | ] insisted upon by the philosophers of Greece. Even the names |
| 20822 | of some Deities show they came from one and the same, as Zeus- |
| 20823 | Dios, Dis, lav, Jovi, Dius-piter, Dies-piter, Jupiter (lapeter?), |
| 20824 | lacchus, and Janus, who was said to be a character of Apollo, |
| 20825 | as Jana was Diana (Macrob. Saturn, i. 5), corresponding to |
| 20826 | Phoebus and Phoebe ; and Macrobius not only identifies most of |
| 20827 | the Gods with the Sun, but makes Apollo and Bacchus, though |
| 20828 | so very dissimilar, the same (Saturn, i. 20). Again, the Olym- |
| 20829 | pian, or heavenly, and the inferial Gods were essentially the |
| 20830 | same; Pluto was only a character of Jupiter; and Ceres and |
| 20831 | Bacchus belonged to both classes, in which they resembled Isis |
| 20832 | and Osiris. The same notion led to the belief in a Sol inferus — |
| 20833 | a deity particularly Egyptian, and connected with the Sun-gods. |
| 20834 | 20. The Deity once divided, there was no limit to the number of |
| 20835 | his attributes of various kinds and of different grades ; and in |
| 20836 | Egypt everything that partook of the divine essence became a |
| 20837 | God. Emblems were added to the catalogue ; and though not |
| 20838 | really deities, they called forth feelings of respect, which the |
| 20839 | ignorant would not readily distinguish from actual worship. The |
| 20840 | \ Greeks, too, besides the greater Gods, gave a presiding spirit to |
| 20841 | almost every part of visible Nature ; trees of various kinds had |
| 20842 | their dryads, hama-dryads, and other nymphs ; rivers, lakes, |
| 20843 | marshes, and wells had their Naiads, as plains, mountains, caves, |
| 20844 | and the like, had their presidmg spirits ; and each "genius loci" |
| 20845 | of later times varied with the place. These were mere per- |
| 20846 | 21. sonifications, — an inferior grade of Nature-gods, — who had no |
| 20847 | mysteries, and could not be identified with the one original |
| 20848 | Deity, as the local divinities of Egyptian towns were different |
| 20849 | i from those who held a rank in the first, second, and third |
| 20850 | orders of gods. |
| 20851 | 22. Tree-worship, and the respect for holy mountains, were African |
| 20852 | as well as Egyptian superstitions ; and they extended also to Asia. |
| 20853 | 23. Besides the evidence of a common origin, from the analogies |
| p. 305 | |
| 20854 | Chap. III. EGYPTIAN THEORY OF CREATION. 299 |
| 20855 | in the Eg5rptian, Indian, Greek, and other systems, we perceive |
| 20856 | that mythology had advanced to a certain point before the |
| 20857 | early migrations took place from central Asia. And if in after- ' |
| 20858 | times each introduced local changes, they often borrowed so |
| 20859 | largely from their neighbours, that a strong resemblance was |
| 20860 | maintained ; and hence the religions resembled each other, partly |
| 20861 | from having a common origin, partly from direct imitation, and |
| 20862 | partly from adaptation ; which last continued to a late period. |
| 20863 | The philosophical view taken by the Greeks of the nature of 24. |
| 20864 | the Deity was also different from their mythological system ; and |
| 20865 | that followed by Thales and others was rather metaphysical than |
| 20866 | religious. Directly they began to adopt the inquiry into the |
| 20867 | nature of the Deity, they admitted that he must be One and |
| 20868 | Supreme ; and he received whatever name appeared to convey |
| 20869 | the clearest notion of the First Principle. How far any of their |
| 20870 | notions, or at least the inquiry that led to them, may be traced |
| 20871 | to an acquaintance with Egyptian speculation, it is difficult to |
| 20872 | determine ; Thales, and many more philosophers, studied in |
| 20873 | Egypt, and must have begun, or have sought to promote, their |
| 20874 | inquiry during their visit to the learned people of that age ; and |
| 20875 | injustice to them we must admit that they went to study there |
| 20876 | for some purpose. At all events their early thoupjhts could not |
| 20877 | but have been greatly influenced by an intercourse with Egypt, |
| 20878 | though many a succeeding philosopher suggested some new view |
| 20879 | of the First Cause ; speculation taking a varied range, and |
| 20880 | often returning under different names to a similar conclusion. |
| 20881 | Still, many early Greek philosophers admitted not only an |
| 20882 | ideal deity as a first cause, a divine intelligence, the " holy |
| 20883 | infinite spirit " of Empedocles, or other notions of the One ; but, |
| 20884 | like Alcmseon of Crotona (according to some a jjupil of Pytha- |
| 20885 | goras, according to others of the Ionian school), " attributed a |
| 20886 | divinity to the sun and stars as well as to the mind " (Cic. Nat. |
| 20887 | Deor. i.). Plato, too, besides the incorporeal God, admits "the |
| 20888 | heavens, stars, and earth, the mind, and those Gods handed down |
| 20889 | from our ancestors" to be the Deity; and Chrysippus, called |
| 20890 | by Cicero (Nat. Deor. i. and iii.) the most subtle of the Stoics, |
| 20891 | extended the divine catalogue still farther ; which recals the |
| 20892 | Egyptian system of a metaphysical and a mysterious view of the |
| 20893 | divine nature, and at the same time the admission of a worship |
| 20894 | of the Sun. (See note " on chap. 51, and note on ch. 123, B. ii.) |
| 20895 | Of the Egyptian theory of the creation some notion may 25, |
| 20896 | perhaps be obtained from the account given in Ovid (Met. i. |
| 20897 | and XXV.) borrowed from the Pythagoreans ; as of their belief in |
| p. 306 | |
| 20898 | 300 CREATION OF THE WORLD IN AUTUMN. A pp. Book II. |
| 20899 | the destruction of the earth by fire, adopted by the Stoics. (Ovid. |
| 20900 | Met. i. 256 ; Seneca, Nat. Qusest. iii. 13 and 28 ; Plut. de Placit. |
| 20901 | Phil. iv. 7.) They even thought it had been subject to several |
| 20902 | catastrophes, "not to one deluge only, but to many ;" and be- |
| 20903 | lieved in a variety of destructions " that have been and again |
| 20904 | will be, the greatest of these arising from fire and water " (Plat. |
| 20905 | Tim. pp. 466, 467). The idea that the world had successive crea- |
| 20906 | tions and destructions is also exjjressly stated in the Indian Manu. |
| 20907 | But though some subjects seem to point to the creation, in |
| 20908 | the tombs of the kings, perhaps also to the destruction (as well |
| 20909 | as to man's future punishment) of the world by fire, there are few |
| 20910 | direct indications of its creation beyond some mysterious allu- |
| 20911 | sions to the agency of Pthah (the creator), or the representation of |
| 20912 | Noum (Nef), the divine spirit passing in his boat " on the waters," |
| 20913 | or f'),shioning the clay on a potter's wheel. This last is also |
| 20914 | done by Pthah, which seems to correspond with the doctrine of |
| 20915 | Empedocles, as well as with the notion expressed in Genesis that |
| 20916 | the matter already existed " without form and void " {tohoo oo |
| 20917 | bohoo) ; and not that it was then for the first time called into |
| 20918 | existence. For (as Mr. Stuart Poole has observed) the same |
| 20919 | expression, toMo oo bohoo, is used in Jeremiah (iv. 23), where the |
| 20920 | land "without form and void" was only "desolate," not de- |
| 20921 | stroyed nor brought "to a full end" (v. 27), but depopulated |
| 20922 | and deprived of light. (Cp. Ps. civ. 30.) |
| 20923 | They probably had a notion of the indefinite period that inter- |
| 20924 | vened between "the beginning" and the creation of man, which is |
| 20925 | in accordance with the Bible account, as St. Gregory Nazianzen |
| 20926 | and others have supposed, and which seems to be pointed out by |
| 20927 | the Hebrew text, where in the two first verses the past tense of the |
| 20928 | verbs ("God created " (bard) and " the earth was without form ") |
| 20929 | is used ; while in the 3rd, and some other verses, we have tamer |
| 20930 | C^sai/s"), and ibra {"creates"); for though these have a past sense, |
| 20931 | that construction is not a necessary one, and the verb might liave |
| 20932 | been placed after, instead of before, the noun, as in the 2nd verse. |
| 20933 | The creation of plants before animals, as in " the third day " of |
| 20934 | Genesis, was also an ancient, perhaps an Egyptian, belief; and |
| 20935 | " Empedocles says the first of all living things were trees, that |
| 20936 | sprang from the earth before the sun expanded Uself." (Comp. |
| 20937 | Plut. de Plac. Phil, v. c. 26.) The tradition among the Hebrews |
| 20938 | of the world having been created in autumn was borrowed from |
| 20939 | Egypt, to which climate only (as Miss F. Corbaux has shown) |
| 20940 | the idea that autumn was the period of the world's creation, or |
| 20941 | renewal, would apply. — [G. W.] |
| p. 307 | |
| 20942 | Chap. IV. VARIATIONS IN THE RISE OF THE NILE. 301 |
| 20943 | CHAPTER IV. |
| 20944 | " WHEN M(ERI.S WAS KING," &c— Chap. 13. |
| 20945 | 1. Rise of the Xile IG cubits. 2. Differed in different parts of Egypt. 3. Oldest |
| 20946 | Nilometer. 4. The lowering of the Nile in Ethiopia by the giving way of the |
| 20947 | rocks at Silsilis. 5. Ethiopia affected by it, but not Egypt below Silsilis. |
| 20948 | 6. Other Nilometers and measurements. 7. Length of the Egyptian cubit. |
| 20949 | " When Moeris was king,'' mys Herodotus, " the Nile overjiotved |
| 20950 | all Egypt beloiu Memphis, as soon as it rose so little as 8 C7ibits," |
| 20951 | and this, he adds, was not 900 years before bis visit, wben it |
| 20952 | required 15 or 16 cubits to inundate tbe country. But the 16 |
| 20953 | figures of children (or cubits, Lucian. Rhet. Praec. sec. 6) on the |
| 20954 | statue of the Nile at Rome show that it rose 16 cubits in the |
| 20955 | time of the Roman Empire ; in 1720 sixteen cubits were still |
| 20956 | cited as the requisite height for inigating the land about Mem- |
| 20957 | phis ; and the same has continued to be the rise of the river at |
| 20958 | old Cairo to this day. For the proportion is always kept up by the |
| 20959 | bed of the river rising in an equal ratio with the land it irrigates, |
| 20960 | and the notion of Savary and others that the Nile no longer |
| 20961 | floods the Delta, is proved by experience to be quite erroneous. |
| 20962 | This also dispels the gloomy prognostications of Herodotus that |
| 20963 | the Nile will at some time cease to inundate the land. |
| 20964 | The Mekeeas pillar at old Cairo, it is true, is calculated to |
| 20965 | contain 24 cubits, but this number merely implies " completiou," |
| 20966 | and it has been ascertained by M. Coste that the 24 Cairene cubits |
| 20967 | are only equal to about 16 or 16 A real cubits. The height of the |
| 20968 | inundation varies of course, as it always did, in different parts |
| 20969 | of Egypt, being about 40 feet at Asouan, 36 at Thebes, 25 at |
| 20970 | Cairo, and 4 at the Rosetta and Damietta mouths ; and Plutarch |
| 20971 | gives 28 cubits as the highest rise at Elephantine, 15 at Mem- |
| 20972 | phis, and 7 at Xois and Mendes, in the Delta (de Isid. s. 43). |
| 20973 | The Nilometer at Elephantine is the one seen by Strabo, and |
| 20974 | used under the Empire, as the rise of the Nile is recorded there |
| 20975 | in the 35th year of Augustus and in the reigns of other Em- |
| 20976 | perors. The highest remaining scale is 27 cubits ; but it has no |
| 20977 | record of the inundation at that height, though Plutarch speaks |
| 20978 | of 28 ; and the highest recorded there is of 26 cubits, 4 palms. |
| p. 308 | |
| 20979 | 302 RISE ABOUT MEMPHIS — NILOMETEES. App. Book IT. |
| 20980 | and 1 digit. This, at the ratio stated by Plutarch, would give |
| 20981 | little more than 14 at Memphis ; but Pliny (v. 9) says the proper |
| 20982 | rise of the Nile is 16 cubits, and the highest known was of 18 in |
| 20983 | the reign of Claudius, Avhich was extraordinary and calamitous. |
| 20984 | Ammianus Marcellinus (22), in the time of Julian, also says, |
| 20985 | " no landed proprietor wishes for more than 1 6 cubits." The |
| 20986 | same is stated by El Edrisi and other Arab waiters. (See Mem. |
| 20987 | de I'Acad., vol. xvi. p. 333 to 377 ; M. Eg. W., p. 279 to 284 ; |
| 20988 | and At. Eg. AV., vol. iv. p. 27 to 31.) The great staircase of |
| 20989 | Elephantine extends far above the highest scale, and measures |
| 20990 | 59 feet, and with the 9 steps of the lower one, the total from the |
| 20991 | base is nearly 69 feet, while the total of the scales that remain |
| 20992 | measures only about 21 feet ; but the cubits, 27 (ke) marked on |
| 20993 | the highest, answer to a height of 46 ft. lOf in., which shows that |
| 20994 | this was reckoned from a lower level than the base of the lowest |
| 20995 | staircase. |
| 20996 | From all that has been said it is evident that the change from |
| 20997 | the time of Moeris to Herodotus could not have been what he |
| 20998 | supposes ; and that the full rise of the Nile about Memphis was |
| 20999 | always reckoned at 16 cubits. The 8 cubits in the time of |
| 21000 | Mceris were either calculated fi'om a different level, or were |
| 21001 | the rise of the river at some place in the Delta far below |
| 21002 | Memphis. |
| 21003 | 3. The oldest Nilometer, according to Diodorus, was erected at |
| 21004 | Memphis ; and on the rocks at Semneh, above the second cata- |
| 21005 | ract, are some curious records of the rise of the Nile during the |
| 21006 | reigns of Amun-ih-he III. and other kings of the 12th dynasty, |
| 21007 | which show that the river does not now^ rise there within 2Q feet |
| 21008 | of the height indicated in those inscriptions. But this was only |
| 21009 | a local change, confined to Ethiopia, and the small tract between |
| 21010 | the first cataract and Silsilis ; and it was owing to a giving way |
| 21011 | i. of the rocks at Silsilis, which till then had kej)t up the water of |
| 21012 | the Nile to a much higher level south of that point. For though |
| 21013 | the plains of Ethiopia were left without the benefit of the annual |
| 21014 | inundation, no effect was produced by it in Egypt north of |
| 21015 | Silsilis, except the passing injury done to the land just below |
| 21016 | that place by the sudden rush of water at the moment the barrier |
| 21017 | was burst through. The channel is still very narrow there, beino- |
| 21018 | only 1095 feet broad, and tradition pretends that the navigation |
| 21019 | was in old times impeded by a chain thrown across it by a king |
| 21020 | of the country, from which the name of Silsil is thought to be |
| 21021 | derived. But though silsili signifies a "chain" in Arabic, the |
| p. 309 | |
| 21022 | Chap. IV. FALL OF THE NILE AT SILSILIS. 303 |
| 21023 | name of Silsilis was known long before the Arabs occupied |
| 21024 | Egypt ; and it is not impossible that its Coptic appellation, |
| 21025 | Golgel, may have been borrowed from the catastrophe that |
| 21026 | occurred there, and point to an earthquake as its cause ; or from |
| 21027 | a similar word, Golgol, alluding apparently to the many channels |
| 21028 | worn by the cataracts there, or to the breaking away of the rocks |
| 21029 | at the time of the fall of the barrier. |
| 21030 | The change in the level of the Nile was disastrous for Ethiopia, 5. |
| 21031 | since it left the plains of that hitherto well- irrigated country far |
| 21032 | above the reach of the annual inundation ; and, as it is shown, by |
| 21033 | the position of caves in the rocks near the Nile, and by the foun- |
| 21034 | dation of buildings on the deposit, to have happened only a short |
| 21035 | time before the accession of the 18th dynasty, it is singular that |
| 21036 | no mention should have been made of so remarkable an occur- |
| 21037 | rence either by Manetho or any other historian. The narrow |
| 21038 | strip of land in Nubia and Southern Ethiopia, as well as the |
| 21039 | broad plains of Dongola, and even some valleys at the edge of the |
| 21040 | eastern desert, are covered with this ancient deposit ; I have |
| 21041 | seen water-worn rocks that prove the former extent of the annual |
| 21042 | inundation in spots often very distant from the banks ; and even |
| 21043 | now this soil is capable of cultivation if watered by artificial |
| 21044 | irrigation. Though this change did not affect Egjqrt below |
| 21045 | Silsilis, it is not impossible that the measurements of Moeris |
| 21046 | may apply to other observations made in his reign in Egypt |
| 21047 | also ; and the discovery of the name of Amun-m-he III. at the |
| 21048 | Labyrinth by Dr. Lepsius, shows that this was at least one of the |
| 21049 | kings to whom the name of Moeris was ascribed. (See note ^ on |
| 21050 | ch. 13, B. ii.) Other measurements are mentioned at different 6. |
| 21051 | times besides those under Moeris and in the days of Herodotus. |
| 21052 | A Nilometer stood at Eileithyias in the age of the Ptolemies ; |
| 21053 | there was one at Memphis, the site of which is still pointed out |
| 21054 | by tradition ; that of Elephantine remains with its scales and |
| 21055 | inscriptions recording the rise of the Nile in the reigns of the |
| 21056 | Roman Emperors ; a moveable one was preserved in the temple |
| 21057 | of Sarapis at Alexandria till the time of Constantino, and was |
| 21058 | afterwards transferred to a Christian church ; the Arabs in 700 A.D. |
| 21059 | erected one at Helwan, which gave place to that made, about 715, |
| 21060 | by the caliph Suleyman in the Isle of Roda, and this again was |
| 21061 | succeeded by the " Mekeeas " of Mamoon, A.D. 815, finished in |
| 21062 | 860 by Motawukkel-al-Allah, which has continued to be the |
| 21063 | government Nilometer to the present day. |
| p. 310 | |
| 21064 | 304 LENGTH OF THE EGYPTIAN CUBIT. App. Book IL |
| 21065 | The length of the ancient Egyptian cubit and its parts may |
| 21066 | be stated as follows : — |
| 21067 | Of the Nilometer Of Memphis, |
| 21068 | of Elephantine. accordiiTg to Joniard. |
| 21069 | 1 digit or dactyhis . = English inches O'TSHG , . 0"73115 |
| 21070 | 4 „ 1 palm . . . = „ 2-9464 . . 2-9247 |
| 21071 | 28 „ 7 „ 1 cubit = „ 20-6250 . . 20-47291 |
| 21072 | The lengths of different Egyptian cubits are : — |
| 21073 | Millimetres. Eng. inches. |
| 21074 | The cubit in the Turia Museum, according to my |
| 21075 | measurement .'" . . . . 522/g or 20-5730 |
| 21076 | The same, according to Jomard |
| 21077 | 522^ or 20-5786 |
| 21078 | Anotlier |
| 21079 | 523 or 20-6180 |
| 21080 | Another |
| 21081 | = |
| 21082 | 524 or 20-6584 |
| 21083 | Jomard's cubit of Memphis, mentioned above . . . . 520 or 20-4729 |
| 21084 | Cubit of Elephantine Nilometer, according to Jomard 527 or 20-7484 |
| 21085 | The same, according to my measurement 20-6250 |
| 21086 | Part of a cubit found by me on a stone at Asouan . . . . alxiut 21-0000 |
| 21087 | Tlie cubit, according to Mr. Perring's calculation, at the Pyramids, do. 20-6280(.?) |
| 21088 | Mr. Harris' cubit from Thebes 20-6500 |
| 21089 | From all which it is evident that they are the same measure, |
| 21090 | and not two different cubits ; and there is nothing to show that |
| 21091 | the Egyj^tians used cubits of 24, 28, and 32 digits.' — [G. W.] |
| 21092 | • See Ancient Egyptians, W., vol. iv. p. 31. |
| p. 311 | |
| 21093 | Chap. V. HIERATIC AND DEMOTIG WRITING. 305 |
| 21094 | CHAPTER V. |
| 21095 | "THEY HAVE TWO QUITE DIFFERENT KINDS OF WRITING, ONE OF |
| 21096 | WHICH IS CALLED SACRED, THE OTHER COMMON."— Chap. 36. |
| 21097 | 1. Hieratic and Demotic, the two sorts of letters written from right to left. |
| 21098 | 2. Hieroglyphics. 3. Three kinds of writing. 4. Hieratic. 5. Demotic, or |
| 21099 | enchorial. 6. The three characters. 7. First use of demotic. 8. Of sym- |
| 21100 | bolic hieroglyphics : The ikonographic. 9. The tropical. 10. The enigmatic. |
| 21101 | 11. Symbolic also put with phonetic hieroglyphics. 12. Determinatives after |
| 21102 | the word, or name of an object. 13. Initial letters for the whole words, to |
| 21103 | be called liinited initial signs. 14. Distinct from other "mixed signs." 15. |
| 21104 | Syllabic signs. 16. Medial vowel placed at the end of a word. 17. Earliest |
| 21105 | use of hieroglyphics. 18. Mode of placing hieroglyphics. 19. First letter of |
| 21106 | a word taken as a character. 20. Determinative signs. 21. They began with |
| 21107 | representative signs. 22. The plural number. 23. Abstract ideas. 24. Pho- |
| 21108 | netic system found necessary. 25. Some parts of the verb. 26. Negative |
| 21109 | sign. 27. Invention of the real alphabetic writing Phoenician. 28. Greek |
| 21110 | letters. 29. Digamma originally written. 30. Sinaitic inscriptions not of |
| 21111 | the Isi'aelites. 31. Tau used for the cross. 32. Materials used for writing |
| 21112 | upon. 33, The papyrus. |
| 21113 | These two kinds of writing,' written, as he says, from right to 1. |
| 21114 | left, evidently apply to the hieratic and demotic (or enchorial) ; |
| 21115 | for though the hieratic was derived from an abbreviated yiode of |
| 21116 | writing hieroglyphics, it was a different character ; as the demotic |
| 21117 | was distinct from the hieroglyphic and the hieratic. The same is |
| 21118 | stated by Diodorus (i. 81), who says " the children of the priests |
| 21119 | were taught two different kinds of writing ;"...." but the |
| 21120 | generality of the people learn only from their parents, or rela- |
| 21121 | tions, what is required for the exercise of their peculiar pro- |
| 21122 | fessions, a few only being taught anything of literature, and |
| 21123 | those principally the better class of artificers." Herodotus and 2. |
| 21124 | Diodorus consider the hieroglyphics merely monumental ; but |
| 21125 | they were not confined to monuments, nor to sacred purposes. |
| 21126 | Clemens (Strom, v. p. 555) more correctly reckons three kinds of 3 |
| 21127 | writing: 1, the epistolographic ; 2, the hieratic, or sacerdotal; |
| 21128 | 3, the hieroglyphic, which was an ordinary written character like |
| 21129 | the other two ; and originally the only one. He then divides the |
| 21130 | hieroglyphic into, 1, hyriologic (directly expressed by the first letter |
| 21131 | or initial of the name of the hieroglyphic object), and 2, symbolic, |
| 21132 | which was either directly expressed by imitation, or written by |
| 21133 | VOI,. II. . X |
| p. 312 | |
| 21134 | 306 NATURE OF THE DEMOTIC. App. Book II. |
| 21135 | tropes, or altogether allegorically hy certain enigmas. As an |
| 21136 | example of the kyriologic, he says they make a circle to repre- |
| 21137 | sent the " sun," and " a crescent for the moon," " according to |
| 21138 | their direct form ;" in the tropical method they substitute one |
| 21139 | thing for another which has a certain resemblance to it. It is |
| 21140 | therefore suited to express the praises of their kings in theo- |
| 21141 | logical myths. Of the third or enigmatic an example may be |
| 21142 | given in their representing the planets from their motion by |
| 21143 | serpents, and the sun by a beetle (or more properly by a hawk). |
| 21144 | The scheme of Clemens may be thus represented : — |
| 21145 | Egyptian writing. |
| 21146 | I |
| 21147 | ^ n |
| 21148 | Epistolographic. Hieroglyphic. |
| 21149 | I |
| 21150 | ■ |
| 21151 | ' |
| 21152 | 1 |
| 21153 | Kyriologic (phonetic, by the initial letters). Symbolic. |
| 21154 | r ■ |
| 21155 | -r |
| 21156 | ^-n |
| 21157 | By direct imitation, or representation By Tropes, or anaglypliic. Allegoric, |
| 21158 | ikonographic, or ideographic. Enigmatic, or |
| 21159 | Emblematic. |
| 21160 | The Meratie, which was derived from the hieroglyphic, was |
| 21161 | invented at least as early as the 9th dynasty, and fell into disuse |
| 21162 | when the demotic had been introduced. It consisted of phonetic, |
| 21163 | and also of symbolic signs. It was written from right to left, and |
| 21164 | was the character used by the priests and sacred scribes, whence |
| 21165 | its name. |
| 21166 | The demotic or enchorial, the epistolographic of Clemens, was a |
| 21167 | simplified form of the hieratic, and a nearer approach towards the |
| 21168 | alphabetic system ; though we find in it syllabic and some ikono- |
| 21169 | graphic or ideographic signs, as the palm-brauch and sun for " a |
| 21170 | year," with others (see the following woodcut, which reads "the |
| 21171 | year 6, the month Mesore, the 20th day," or " the 6th year, the |
| 21172 | 20th day of the fourth month of the waters, of King Ptolemy ") ; |
| 21173 | and the several characters still amounted, according to Brugsch, |
| 21174 | to 275, including ligatures, and numerals, or perhaps even ex- |
| 21175 | ceeded that number. Plutarch is therefore wrong in limiting |
| 21176 | the number of letters in the Egyptian alphabet to twenty-five |
| 21177 | (de Is. s. 56). One great peculiarity pointed out by Brugsch is |
| 21178 | that demotic was used for the vulgar dialect, and is therefore |
| 21179 | more correctly called demotic than enchorial; but it was also |
| 21180 | used in historical papyri. It was also invariably written, like |
| 21181 | the hieratic, from right to left. |
| 21182 | The form of the hieroglyphic, the hieratic, and the demotic, |
| 21183 | differed more in some characters than in others, as may be seen |
| 21184 | in the woodcut ; where the transition from the first (sometimes |
| 21185 | through the second) to the demotic may be perceived. It is not |
| p. 313 | |
| 21186 | Chap. V. IMITATIVE HIEROGLYPHICS. 307 |
| 21187 | fiir<„ „/!>C/^^Si^ ±) Q< yXH ^c ol' !"""<*■ |
| 21188 | quite certain when the demotic first came into use, but it was at 7, |
| 21189 | least as early as the reign of Psammetichus II., of the 26th dynasty ; |
| 21190 | and it had therefore long been employed when Herodotus visited |
| 21191 | Egypt. Soon after its invention it was adopted for all ordinary |
| 21192 | purposes ; it was taught as part of an Egyptian education ; and |
| 21193 | after it, according to Clemens, they learnt the hieratic, and lastly |
| 21194 | the hieroglyphic. But this gradation, if ever observed, could |
| 21195 | only have been in later times ; for in the early period, before the |
| 21196 | epistolographic, or demotic, was invented, the educated Egyp- |
| 21197 | tians must either have learnt the hieroglyphic, or the hieratic |
| 21198 | character, or have been left without any knowledge of reading and |
| 21199 | writing, which would have been tantamount to no education at |
| 21200 | all ; whereas we know on the contrary that hieroglyphics were |
| 21201 | commonly understood by all educated persons. Many too learnt |
| 21202 | hieroglyphics to whom the hieratic was not taught ; nor could |
| 21203 | the hieroglyphic have been at any time the last they learnt, |
| 21204 | since the invention of the hieratic was intended to enable the |
| 21205 | priests to possess a written character not generally known to the |
| 21206 | rest of the Egyptians. |
| 21207 | In symbolic hieroglyphics, 1. The ihonograpMc, representational, 8. |
| 21208 | or imitative hieroglyphics, are those that present the object itself, as |
| 21209 | the sun's disc, to signify the "sun" O ; the crescent y to signify |
| 21210 | the " moon ;" a male and female figure apply to man and ivoman |
| 21211 | when separate, and signify mankind when together, as in this |
| 21212 | group i^ J , with or without the word "ro<" (^"mankind''). |
| 21213 | 2. The tropical hieroglyphics substitute one object for another, to 9. |
| 21214 | which it bears an analogy, as heaven and a star ^ for " night ;" |
| 21215 | a leg in a trap rj -\ for "deceit ;'' a pen and inkstand (or writer's |
| 21216 | palette) fyJB for '-'•writing^'' "totvrite,'' or a ^^ scribe;" and a man |
| 21217 | breaking his own head with an axe, or a club, for the " ivicked" — |
| 21218 | X 2 |
| p. 314 | |
| 21219 | 308 THE ENIGMATIC. App. Book II^ |
| 21220 | suicide being considered the most wicked action of a man. |
| 21221 | Again, the sun is put for a " day ;" and the moon for a " month ;" |
| 21222 | a youth with his finger to his mouth \Jj for a '•'■ cliild ;'" a man |
| 21223 | armed with how and quiver, a " soldier " (Ty^^ ; a man pouring |
| 21224 | out a libation from a vase, or merely the vase itself f f |
| 21225 | a '^ priest ;^' a man with his hands bound behind his back, "a |
| 21226 | captive^' ilK ; the ground-jAan of a house, a ^^ temple" or a |
| 21227 | " house,''' n ; as a t'a?ye signified a '■'• door f the firmament, or the |
| 21228 | ceiling of a room, studded with stars, " the heave7i^' ^bbi^; and a |
| 21229 | man raising his hand, and calling to another, was the exclamation |
| 21230 | "oA," and the vocative "o" (below, p. 316). An egg % signified |
| 21231 | a " child," or " son ;" z, face " before'^ or a " chief f and a lion's |
| 21232 | fore-part " the beginning'' and the hind-quarter " the end," as |
| 21233 | in this sentence, ^— g (^^ ^ (m. "In the beginning of |
| 21234 | the year, (and) in ^^j lO J^-/-/^ IO ^^® ®^^^ °^ ^^^® year." |
| 21235 | 10. 3. The enigmatic put an emblematic figure, or object, in lieu of |
| 21236 | the one intended to be represented, as a hawJc (or the "sun" |
| 21237 | ■k ; a seated figure with a curved beard iJ for a ''god." |
| 21238 | It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between tropical and |
| 21239 | enigmatic hieroglyphics ; as when the two water-plants I I |
| 21240 | ai'e put for the " uj)per and lotver country" being emblems of the |
| 21241 | two districts where they principally grew, Upper and Lower |
| 21242 | Egypt, But it will be evident that the tropical is the nearest of |
| 21243 | the three to the phonetic, in compass, and power of expression, |
| 21244 | from its being able more readily to express abstract ideas and |
| 21245 | facts. |
| 21246 | 11. These three kinds of what Clemens calls symbolic (or more |
| 21247 | properly figure-hieroglyphics, in contradistinction to kyriologic, |
| 21248 | phonetic, or letter-hieroglyphics), were either used alone, or in com- |
| 21249 | pany with the phonetically- written word they represented. Thus, |
| 21250 | 1. the word Re, " sun," might be written in letters 07ily, or be also |
| 21251 | followed by the ikonograph the solar disc (which if alone would |
| 21252 | still have the same meaning Be, " sun ") ; and as we might Avrite |
| p. 315 | |
| 21253 | Chap. V. THE DETERMINATIVE. 309 |
| 21254 | the word " horse," and place after it a figure of that animal, they |
| 21255 | did the same after their word htr, or hthor " horse" j |
| 21256 | • — ' -^3|^b*\ . |
| 21257 | So too the word " moon," Aah, or loh, was followed by the |
| 21258 | crescent, |Hp»^ ^^^d rot \Jt.A "mankind" by the figure of a |
| 21259 | man and woman. Again, a man in the . action of beating was |
| 21260 | placed either alone, or after the verb to beat " Jiei," to have that |
| 21261 | meaning. In these cases the sign so following the phonetic word 12. |
| 21262 | has been called a determinative, from its serving to determine |
| 21263 | the meaning of what preceded it. 2. In the same manner the |
| 21264 | tropical hierogljrphics might be alone, or in company with the |
| 21265 | word written phonetically ; and the expression " to write," skhai, |
| 21266 | might be followed, or not, by its tropical hieroglyphic, the "pen |
| 21267 | and inkstand " as its determinative sign ; as the man killing liim- |
| 21268 | self might be preceded by the word sheft, " wicked." 3. The |
| 21269 | emblematic figure — a hawk signifying the " sun " — might also be |
| 21270 | alone, or after the name "Re" written phonetically, as a deter- |
| 21271 | minative sign ; and as a general rule the determinative followed, |
| 21272 | instead of preceding the names, in which it differed from the |
| 21273 | Chinese and Assyrian systems. Determinatives are therefore of |
| 21274 | three kinds, — ikonographic, tropical, aud enigmatic. |
| 21275 | This union of both phonetic and symbolic hieroglyphics is |
| 21276 | commonly adopted, and may be considered the remains of the |
| 21277 | original pictorial writing combined with the phonetic system. |
| 21278 | Some hieroglyphics again are used as pure ikonographs, and |
| 21279 | phonetically also ; as the plan of a house, which with a line |
| 21280 | added to it answers for the letter e, in ei y_ j | " house," though |
| 21281 | alone it also represented a "house," or "abode." |
| 21282 | Some which are tropical when alone are phonetic in com- |
| 21283 | bination, as the sign for "gold" noub also stands for the letter n. |
| 21284 | Some too, which are emblematic, are phonetic in words, as the |
| 21285 | crocodile's tail, the symbol of " Egypt," when combined with an |
| 21286 | owl " m," answers to " kh " of the word khemi " Egypt," as well |
| 21287 | as oikhame or hame "black." In these cases they are the initial |
| 21288 | letters of the words they represent ; so the guitar (or nabT) signifies 13. |
| 21289 | " good" whether standing alone T , or as the initial of the word |
| 21290 | nofr "good" 1 ; and the tau, or crux atisata, signifies " life" |
| p. 316 | |
| 21291 | 310 VOWELS. App. Book II. |
| 21292 | (or " living "), whether it stands alone ^ |
| 21293 | or as the initial of |
| 21294 | the word written phonetically in full jT ^ otikh, or ankh. |
| 21295 | But these are only used, each for its own particular word, and do |
| 21296 | not stand for n, or o in any other. Moreover, they cannot be called |
| 21297 | ikonogi-aphic ; otherwise the guitar would sometimes signify what |
| 21298 | it represents — a " guitar ;" nor can they be called determinatives, |
| 21299 | not being used to follow and determine the sense of the word, |
| 21300 | but forming part of it when written phonetically. Nor can they |
| 21301 | be classed among the simple phonetic characters, as they are |
| 21302 | only used in their own words of which they are the first letter, |
| 21303 | and not in any others where the same letter occurs. Of the |
| 21304 | same kind is the " stand," or barred emblem of stability, which |
| 21305 | ■vv-ith a hand signifies tt "to establish," and which is not em- |
| 21306 | ployed for t in other words. These may be called limited initial |
| 21307 | signs. |
| 21308 | 14. They may also be distinguished as specific signs, while others |
| 21309 | employed for any words are generic. They have been called |
| 21310 | " mixed signs " together with many others, some of which, how- |
| 21311 | ever, are of a different kind, and ought to be placed in a distinct |
| 21312 | order; as the human head with the mat and two lines reading |
| 21313 | dpS, " head," or " upon ;" for this is both ikonographic and |
| 21314 | phonetic. It stands for a " head " as well as for the letter a, and |
| 21315 | differs therefore from the guitar and others of limited force. |
| 21316 | This remark applies also to others that have been ranked among |
| 21317 | " mixed sig;ns." |
| 21318 | 15. Besides the employment of one or more single signs for a |
| 21319 | letter, there were some which stood for words of one syllable^ in |
| 21320 | this manner : a sign which was followed by one particular vowel, |
| 21321 | or consonant, forming the word, was frequently placed alone |
| 21322 | (without its complement) for the whole monosyllable : thus the |
| 21323 | hoe " M " often stood for mer (or mar), without the mouth repre- |
| 21324 | senting the r; and the sjnked stand "M" stood for the whole |
| 21325 | or monosyllabic word nien, without the zigzag " n," that some- |
| 21326 | times follows to complete it; and in mes "born" the first sign |
| 21327 | answering to " m" was put alone for the whole word without the |
| 21328 | complementary "s." |
| 21329 | 16. The Egyptians had also a singular mode of placing a sign, |
| 21330 | representing a medial vowel, after the consonant it preceded in the |
| 21331 | word; thus, ^or Aan they VfTOte ana ; ior Khons, Klinso ; Canana |
| 21332 | for Canaan. It must, however, be observed that the exact vowel |
| 21333 | is rarely certain, as we are obliged to supply those that are unex- |
| p. 317 | |
| 21334 | Chap. V. HIEROGLYPHIC ALPHABET. 311 |
| 21335 | pressed ; and in Coptic they are so changeable as to give us little |
| 21336 | help. Sometimes, too, the consonant beginning a word was |
| 21337 | doubled, as Ssa, for Sa, or Sals: (Perhaps also in Ssiris for |
| 21338 | Osiris. ) |
| 21339 | In hieroglyphics of the earliest periods there were fewer |
| 21340 | phonetic characters than in after ages, being nearer to the |
| 21341 | original picture-writing. The number of signs ; Iso varied at |
| 21342 | different times ; but they may be reckoned at from 900 to 1000. |
| 21343 | The period when hieroglyphics, the oldest Egyptian characters, 17. |
| 21344 | were first used, is uncertain. They are found in the Great |
| 21345 | Pyramid of the time of the 4;th dynasty, and had evidently been |
| 21346 | invented long before, having already assumed a cursive style. |
| 21347 | This shows them to be far older than any other kno^vn writing ; |
| 21348 | and the written documents of the ancient lanoriacres of Asia, the |
| 21349 | Sanscrit and the Zend, are of a recent time compared with those |
| 21350 | of Egypt, even if the date of the Rig Veda in the loth century |
| 21351 | B.C. be proved. Manetho shows that the invention of writing- |
| 21352 | was known in the reign of Athothis (the son and successor of |
| 21353 | Menes), the second king of Egypt, when he ascribes to him the |
| 21354 | writing of the anatomical books ; and tradition assigned to it a |
| 21355 | still earlier origin. At all events hieroglyphics, and the use of |
| 21356 | the papyrus, with the usual reed pen, are shown to have been |
| 21357 | common when the pyramids were built ; and their style in the |
| 21358 | sculptures proves that they were then a very old invention. |
| 21359 | Various new characters were added at subsequent periods, and |
| 21360 | a still greater number were introduced under the Ptolemies and |
| 21361 | Caesars, which are not found on the early monuments; some, |
| 21362 | again, of the older times fell into disuse. |
| 21363 | All hieroglyphics, including the linear kind, or running hand 18. |
| 21364 | above mentioned, were written from rioht to left, from left to rig-ht, |
| 21365 | or in vertical columns (like Chinese), according to the space it |
| 21366 | was to fill ; and the mode of reading i± was towards the faces |
| 21367 | of the animals, or figures. Thus ^^ T^'Wl " Phrah, the |
| 21368 | •^^^:^ JB^% 1 |
| 21369 | mighty," and ^^ " his son who loves him," read from |
| 21370 | left to right ; but if they faced the other way they would read |
| 21371 | from right to left, as in the previous woodcut of section 6. This |
| 21372 | is a general rule, to which there are very few exceptions. |
| 21373 | The mode of forming the characters or phonetic signs was by 19. |
| 21374 | taking the first letter of the name of those objects selected to be |
| 21375 | the representatives of each sound, thus : the name of an eagle, |
| 21376 | Akhom, began with the sound A, and that bird was taken as the |
| p. 318 | |
| 21377 | 312 RESTRICTION OF SYNONYMOUS SIGNS. App. Book II. |
| 21378 | sign for that letter ; an owl was chosen to represent an M, because |
| 21379 | it was the initial of Moulag, the name of that bird ; and others in |
| 21380 | like manner ; which may possibly explain the expression of Cle- |
| 21381 | mens, ra. Tifwrct. o-TOix,£''a, " the first letters," in opposition to sym- |
| 21382 | bolic signs. This use of the first letters of words necessarily led |
| 21383 | to the adoption of many signs for the same character, and the |
| 21384 | hieroglyphic alphabet was consequently very large. It is not, how- |
| 21385 | ever, to be supposed that all the signs for one letter were employed |
| 21386 | indiscriminately : the Egyptians confined themselves to particular |
| 21387 | hieroglyphics in writing certain words ; thus Amun was written |
| 21388 | \ |
| 21389 | ^^^^^^^ though y— — would stand equally well for the mere letters |
| 21390 | A, M, N. Again, onkh, "■ life," and many others, are always written |
| 21391 | with the same characters, so that the initial nr alone stands |
| 21392 | for the entire word ; and if Pv or ^■■■^ are both used for mai, |
| 21393 | or meri, " loved," and other letters have their synonyms, these |
| 21394 | variations are very limited, and are adopted with great discretion, |
| 21395 | though greater latitude is allowed in the names of foreign people. |
| 21396 | Each sign has even been thought to have its own inherent vowel. |
| 21397 | 20. Besides the restricted use of synonymous signs, another very |
| 21398 | important index was adopted for separating words, and for point- |
| 21399 | ing out their sense. This was the determinative sign already |
| 21400 | mentioned, which was a figure of the object itself following the |
| 21401 | phonetic word. A particular determinative of kind was also |
| 21402 | given to objects belonging to a collective genus, as the skin and |
| 21403 | tail M| of an animal, " bos," following a word, denoted some |
| 21404 | "beast," thus l^^l|™, (ina, signified an " ape." But the |
| 21405 | skin, " 3as," also stood for the word " shin" and it was therefore |
| 21406 | a specific as well as a generic determinative ; and it was also a |
| 21407 | determinative of the God " BesaJ" They also occasionally accom- |
| 21408 | panied a word by another determinative sign having the same |
| 21409 | sound ; as the goose after the name of Apis ; or the stmie, " st" |
| 21410 | that followed the name of the god Set or Seth ; &c. |
| 21411 | A group accompanied by a sign signifying "land " ^^ , pointed |
| 21412 | out some district or town of Egypt ; as another indicative of a |
| 21413 | hilly country ^ ^ ^ stood for ^^ foreign land;' and a line or tooth, |
| 21414 | f was the determinative of a '^ 7'egion.^^ Several expletives were |
| 21415 | also used for various purposes : some as tacit signs being placed |
| p. 319 | |
| 21416 | Chap. V. PLURALS— ABSTRACT IDEAS. 313 |
| 21417 | after substantives, adjectives, and verbs, as the papyrus roll, |
| 21418 | ^'^ , and others denoting verbs of action, &c. |
| 21419 | In the formation of this written language the Egyptians began 21. |
| 21420 | with Avhat is the oldest form of writing, representational signs. The |
| 21421 | alphabetic system was a later invention, which gre^v out of picture- |
| 21422 | writing ; for, as drawing is older than writing, so picture-writing |
| 21423 | is older than alphabetic characters, and, as Bacon justly observes, |
| 21424 | " hieroglyphics preceded letters." But the Egyptians in their re- |
| 21425 | presentational signs, did not confine themselves to the simple de- |
| 21426 | lineation of the object, merely in order to signify itself ; this would |
| 21427 | not have given them a written language ; they went farther, and |
| 21428 | represented ideas also, for two legs not only signified what they |
| 21429 | represented, but implied the notion of "walking," or "motion;" |
| 21430 | and the former meaning might be pointed out by a particular |
| 21431 | mark, which showed that the object was to be taken in a positive |
| 21432 | sense : thus -^ signified " walking," but ~^^^^ was read "legs," |
| 21433 | which, in older times, was made by two separate legs ; and a |
| 21434 | hull signified " strong," but when followed by a half-circle and a |
| 21435 | line, it read simply " a bull." |
| 21436 | The plural number was marked by the same object thrice re- 22. |
| 21437 | peated, as j " God," |T|"Gods," or by three lines following |
| 21438 | it, Ij ; but the Egyptians had no dual. (Of their mode of writing |
| 21439 | numbers, see n. ^ on ch. 36, B. ii.) A circle or sieve, with two short |
| 21440 | lines within or below it, signified " twice" ^ . The female sign was |
| 21441 | a small half-circle ^^ after the word (whether singular or plural) : |
| 21442 | thus an egg or a goose, signifying a " son," when followed by a |
| 21443 | half-circle, read " daughter." |
| 21444 | By certain combinations they portrayed an abstract idea, and 23. |
| 21445 | a verb of action was indicated by the phonetic characters that |
| 21446 | formed it being followed by an object representing the action : as |
| 21447 | M |
| 21448 | ■^^*- a |
| 21449 | rimi" with an eye and tears flowing from it, |
| 21450 | signified "(^o) wee^" as well as ''■ loeeping'''' or '■^ lamentation i''' the |
| 21451 | word mounkh, followed by a mallet www^^ implied '^ (to') work" or |
| 21452 | ^^ build," or any ''' ivork f ouSn, followed by the valve of a door, |
| p. 320 | |
| 21453 | 314 ORIGIN OF ALPHABETIC WRITING. App, Book II. |
| 21454 | was " {to) open,^'' ^^s^ , though this hare and zigzag line without |
| 21455 | the valve would be a tense of the verb " to be." |
| 21456 | Sometimes the phonetic word was omitted, and the determina- |
| 21457 | tive sign alone portrayed the idea, as a pair of eyes signified " to |
| 21458 | see " (without the word meio) ; a cerastes snake going into a hole |
| 21459 | signified " to enter, '^ as its reversed position meant " to come out ;" |
| 21460 | and many others of a similar kind. It sometimes happened (as |
| 21461 | in other languages) that the same name applied to two dififerent |
| 21462 | objects, and then the same hieroglyphic stood for both, as -^^^ |
| 21463 | neb for "'lord," and nihen, "all;" iri signified an "eye" and "to |
| 21464 | make ;" and, as Dr. Young says, however much Warburton's in- |
| 21465 | dignation might be excited by this child's system, it is, after all, |
| 21466 | only one of the simple processes through which a written lan- |
| 21467 | guage may very naturally be supposed to advance towards a more |
| 21468 | perfect development. Emblems were also extensively employed : |
| 21469 | as the asp signified a Goddess; the crowns of upper and lower |
| 21470 | Eg}^t the dominion of those two districts ; and several of the |
| 21471 | Gods were known by the peculiar emblems chosen to represent |
| 21472 | them, — the ibis or the cynocephalus being put for the God |
| 21473 | Thoth ; a squai'e-eared fabulous animal for Seth or Typhon ; the |
| 21474 | hawk for E,e and Horus; the jackal for Anubis ; and others. |
| 21475 | 24, But however ingeniously numerous signs were introduced to |
| 21476 | complete the sense, their mode of expressing abstract ideas was very |
| 21477 | imperfect ; and another step was required beyond the use of homo- |
| 21478 | phonous words, emblems, and positive representations of objects. |
| 21479 | This was the invention of the phonetic system already noticed (p. |
| 21480 | 311), which was evidently allied to the adoption of words of the same |
| 21481 | sound, the initial being taken instead of the whole word. Thus, |
| 21482 | when the names of objects began with a similar sound, either of |
| 21483 | them stood for the same letter : as m and / for M : a hoe |
| 21484 | K |
| 21485 | and a tank of water for M ; ^ siou, " a star ;" a goose, sen, for |
| 21486 | S, &c. Here, as already shown, is the germ of alphabetic writing ; |
| 21487 | and that a similar picture-writing was the origin of the Phoenician |
| 21488 | and the Hebrew, is proved by the latter having retained the |
| 21489 | names of the objects after their form could no longer be traced ; |
| 21490 | aleph, beth, andgimel, signifying the "bull" ("chief," or "head"), |
| 21491 | the "house," and the "camel." The names of these are also |
| 21492 | traced in the alpha, beta, gamma of the Greeks, who bon-owed |
| 21493 | their letters from the Phoenicians. |
| p. 321 | |
| 21494 | Chap . V. HIEROGLYPHIC GKAMMAE. 315 |
| 21495 | It is not possible in so short a space to give even a summary of 25. |
| 21496 | the grammar of hieroglyphics ; for this I must refer to Champol- |
| 21497 | lion's Grammaire Eg3rptienne ; and I shall merely observe that, |
| 21498 | 1st, in combining the pronouns with a verb, a sitting figure of a |
| 21499 | man (or of a woman, or of a king) for "I" (or a small vertical line, |
| 21500 | or a reed-head, before the verb), a basket with a ring for "thou," a |
| 21501 | cerastes for " he," the bolt, or broken line, (" s ") for " she," and |
| 21502 | others, followed the verb, in this manner : — |
| 21503 | ^ |
| 21504 | say |
| 21505 | or ^ i " I give ;" ^^•" I " thou sayest ;" ^^^ I |
| 21506 | " he says ;" -^ 1 " she says ;" ^ " the king says |
| 21507 | ' we say ;" .^^ V, " you say ;" . \ " they |
| 21508 | 111 III |
| 21509 | say ;" and these same signs are also put for the various cases of |
| 21510 | the personal and possessive pronouns, wherever they are required. |
| 21511 | 2nd. The perfect tense is marked by n after the verb, and |
| 21512 | before the pronouns : thus ^ " he makes " becomes aaaaa/n |
| 21513 | " he made," or " he has made ;" and the mode of expressing |
| 21514 | the passive is by adding tou : thus |
| 21515 | (H |
| 21516 | (I |
| 21517 | mes* " born," becomes |
| 21518 | mestou-f, or mesout-f, " he was born " (natus est). |
| 21519 | We also find mesntou-f (natus erat, or fuerat). |
| 21520 | * Mas is " son " in Berber ; and perhaps in Numidiau, as in Masiuissa. |
| p. 322 | |
| 21521 | 316 PHONETIC LETTERS. Arp. Book II |
| 21522 | 3rd. The future is formed by the auxiliary verb ao (or au), |
| 21523 | " to be," followed by the mouth -^d,.^^- r |
| 21524 | m. |
| 21525 | "for ;" as " I am for to make," or " I will make." M. de Rouge |
| 21526 | also shows that the future is formed by prefixing tu to the root. |
| 21527 | 4tli. The imjaerative mood is marked by the interjection " Oh," |
| 21528 | a figure holding forth one arm in the act of calling. |
| 21529 | m'^W^^ |
| 21530 | or by the word "JwV rn H^Jli %^' °^' ^^ *^® |
| 21531 | Avord ma. |
| 21532 | 5th. In the subjunctive the verb immediately follows a tense |
| 21533 | of the verb " to give," as (Osiris) " give thou that I may see " |
| 21534 | ; or the verb is preceded by w, "for," |
| 21535 | " that," as ^ ^J^ " that thou mayst see." |
| 21536 | 6th. In the optative the verb is preceded by the word |
| 21537 | fiL i 1 I mai. 7th. The infinitive is formed by prefixing |
| 21538 | "~T^^ 1 1 ^^' ^° ^^® root. |
| 21539 | 8th. The participle present is generally determined by a cerastes |
| 21540 | following it, or by a bolt, or broken line (" s "), for a female ; and |
| 21541 | the same is expressed bj'- nt, " who :" as ^^ " who |
| 21542 | mK\\r. |
| 21543 | saves," or " saving " (saviour) ; the plural by " ii |
| 21544 | ^ or \\ |
| 21545 | III -^1 |
| 21546 | instead of " sen." The participle past is formed by adding " out " |
| 21547 | or " tou " V ^ : as I T ^ " established." |
| 21548 | 26. 9th. The negative sign is a pair of extended arms with the |
| 21549 | palms of the hands downwards rr-'^— e» preceding the verb. |
| p. 323 | |
| 21550 | Chap. V. |
| 21551 | THE DIGAMMA. |
| 21552 | 319 |
| 21553 | Pliny (vii. 56) says, "Cadmus brought sixteen letters from Phoe- 28. |
| 21554 | nicia into Greece, to which Palamedes, in the time of the Trojan war, |
| 21555 | added four more — 0, H, O, X ; and Simouides afterwards intro- |
| 21556 | duced four — Z, H, ^', n. Aristotle thinks there were of old |
| 21557 | eighteen— A, B, T, A, E, Z, I, K, A, M, N, O, U, P, 1, T, T, |
| 21558 | O, and that ©, X were added by Epicharmus rather than by |
| 21559 | Palamedes ; but his O should rather be the O or Q of ancient |
| 21560 | Greek. Anticlides states that " fifteen years before Phoroneus, |
| 21561 | the first king of Greece, a certain Menon, in Egypt, invented |
| 21562 | letters, .... but it appears that they were always used. The |
| 21563 | first who brought them into Latium were the Pelasgi." Euse- |
| 21564 | bius (Chron. i. 13) says, " Palamedes invented the first sixteen |
| 21565 | letters— A, B, F, A, E, I, K, A, M, N, O, n, P, 2, T, T, to |
| 21566 | which Cadmus of Miletus added three others — 0, O, X ; Simoui- |
| 21567 | des of Cos two — H, fl ; and Epicharmus of Syracuse three |
| 21568 | more — Z, H, '^, which comjjleted the twenty-four." But they all |
| 21569 | forget that the aspirate and digamma, H and F, were among the |
| 21570 | original letters ; and the double letters and long vowels were in- |
| 21571 | dicated (as at Aboosimbel) long before the age of Simonides. |
| 21572 | The Etruscans had Z, 0, O, X, and no H, "F ; and they never |
| 21573 | added H, H. (See note ^ on ch. 30.) |
| 21574 | It is still uncertain when the Greeks first used letters ; but 29. |
| 21575 | the absence of the written ^olic digamma in Homer is no proof |
| 21576 | that it ceased to be employed when the Iliad was first written, |
| 21577 | since numerous inscriptions dating long after this introduce the |
| 21578 | dio-amma. The style varied slightly in various parts of Greece |
| 21579 | and Asia Minor, at the same time. Even if letters were used |
| 21580 | so soon by the Assyrians, as Pliny thinks ("literas semper |
| 21581 | arbitror Assyrias fuisse," vii. 56), they could not have been the |
| 21582 | origin of those in Greece. Indeed he adds, " alii apud ^gyptios, |
| 21583 | alii apud Spies, repertas volunt;" and it was the |
| 21584 | "Syrians" {i.e. Phoenicians) who had a real alphabet.* Nor is |
| 21585 | there any evidence of the characters so much like Hebrew found |
| 21586 | in Assyria having been used at a very remote period. Warburton |
| 21587 | * The writings of Moses date at |
| 21588 | latest in the end of the loth century |
| 21589 | B.C., and the Phoenician letters were |
| 21590 | probably much older; so that alpha- |
| 21591 | betic characters were used upwards of |
| 21592 | 1500 years B.C. The Arian writings |
| 21593 | are later than this; and Sanscrit, from |
| 21594 | its lettei-s facing to the left, while the |
| 21595 | words ai'e written from left to I'ight, |
| 21596 | gives an evidence of its having bor- |
| 21597 | rowed letters from a Semitic source. |
| 21598 | They ai-e not turned, as in the later |
| 21599 | Greek, to suit the direction of the |
| 21600 | words. In Zend the letters face to the |
| 21601 | left, as the words do ; and some of |
| 21602 | them appear to bear a resemblance to |
| 21603 | PhcEnician characters. |
| p. 324 | |
| 21604 | 320 PAPYRUS— PARCHMENT. App. Book IT. |
| 21605 | (Div. Leg. vol. ii. b. iv. s. 4) thinks " that Moses brought letters |
| 21606 | with the rest of his learning from Egypt ;" but the old Hebrew |
| 21607 | character was the Samaritan, which was closely allied to the |
| 21608 | Phoenician, and evidently borrowed from it ; and that too before |
| 21609 | the Egyptians had purely alphabetic writing. |
| 21610 | 30. It would be interestmg if the so-called Sinaitic inscriptions were |
| 21611 | written by the Israelites, and were the earliest existing instance |
| 21612 | of alphabetic writing ; but we are not on that account justified in |
| 21613 | coming to such a conclusion ; and to show how unwarranted it is, |
| 21614 | I need only say that I have found them (beginning too with the |
| 21615 | same word so common in those at Mount Sinai) on the western, or |
| 21616 | Egyptian, side of the Red Sea, near the watering-place of Aboo- |
| 21617 | Durrag; and they appear also at W. Umthummerana (in the |
| 21618 | Wady Arraba), at Wady Dthahal (in lat. 28= 40'), and at the |
| 21619 | port of E'Gimsheh (near Gebel E'Zayt, opposite Eas Moham- |
| 21620 | med). They must therefore have been of a people who navigated |
| 21621 | the Red Sea, and who frequented the wells on the coast. This |
| 21622 | was long after the era of the Exodus ; and the presence of |
| 21623 | 31. crosses, and of the Egyptian Tau, in some of those at Mount |
| 21624 | Sinai, argues that they were of a Christian age ; for the adop- |
| 21625 | tion of the Tau as a cross is shown, by its heading the numerous |
| 21626 | Christian inscriptions at the Great Oasis, to have been at one |
| 21627 | time very general in this part of the East. |
| 21628 | 32. Various materials were employed for writing upon, at different |
| 21629 | times, and in different countries. Among them were leaves, |
| 21630 | pith, and bark of trees, used at the present day (whence liber |
| 21631 | and cliarta), papyrus or byblus (whence Bible), cloth, bones, skins, |
| 21632 | leather, stones, pottery, metal, wax-tablets, and other substances. |
| 21633 | The Greek name ^itp^epa. applied to skins used for writing |
| 21634 | upon, which were adopted by the Persians also (Diod. ii. 32), |
| 21635 | has been, as Major Rennell ingeniously supposes, the origin of |
| 21636 | the Persian and Arabic word "defter," applied to an "account," |
| 21637 | or " memorandum-book." Parchment was invented about |
| 21638 | 250 B.C. by Eumenes, king of Pergamus (whence its name), who, |
| 21639 | wishing to emulate the Alexandrian library, was unable to obtain |
| 21640 | papyrus paj)er through the jealousy of the Ptolemies. These |
| 21641 | Pergamena, the Roman membrana, were either skins of sheep, |
| 21642 | or of calves (vitulina, vellum). Pliny is wrong in supposing the |
| 21643 | 3. P^P3"rus was not used till the age of Alexander ; being common |
| 21644 | (together with the reed pen, palette, and other implements of |
| 21645 | later Egyptian scribes) in the time of the oldest Pharaohs, at |
| 21646 | least as early as the 3rd and 4th dynast}^ ; he is equally so in |
| p. 325 | |
| 21647 | Chap. V. DIMENSIONS OF PAPYRUS. 321 |
| 21648 | saying that when Homer wrote, Egypt was not all firm land ; |
| 21649 | that the papyrus was confined to the Sebennytic nome ; and |
| 21650 | that the land was afterwards raised ; making the usual mistake |
| 21651 | about Pharos (see note •* on ch. 5, Book ii.). Of old, lie says, |
| 21652 | "men wrote on leaves of palms and other trees" (as now in |
| 21653 | Birmah, and other countries), " afterwards public records on |
| 21654 | lead, and private on linen and wax ;" but all thi.^ was long after |
| 21655 | the papyrus was used in Egypt. He also describes the process of |
| 21656 | making the papyrus (xiii. 11), and adds (xiii, 12), "the largest |
| 21657 | in old times was the Hieratic (for holy purposes) ; afterwards |
| 21658 | the best was called Augustan, the second Livian, the Hieratic |
| 21659 | being the third ; and the next was the Amphitheatric (from the |
| 21660 | place where made). Fannius at Rome made an improved kind, |
| 21661 | called Fannian, that not passing through his hands being still |
| 21662 | styled Amphitheatric ; and next was the Saitic, a common kind |
| 21663 | from inferior stalks. The Teniotic, from the part nearest the rind, |
| 21664 | sold for weight not for goodness ; and the Emporetic of shops, for |
| 21665 | packing, not for writing upon. The outside was only fit for ropes, |
| 21666 | and that only if kept wet. , . . The breadth of the best is now 13 |
| 21667 | fingers (about 9| inches) broad ; the Hieratic two less, the Fannian |
| 21668 | 10, the Amphitheatric 9, the Saitic less, and the Emporetic (used |
| 21669 | for business) not above 6. In paper, four things must be looked |
| 21670 | to, fineness, compactness, whiteness, and smoothness. Claudius |
| 21671 | Csesar altered the Augustan, being thin and not bearing the pen, |
| 21672 | the ink too appearing through it. He added a second layer in |
| 21673 | thickness, and made the breadth a foot and 1 J foot, or a cubit. . . . |
| 21674 | It is made smooth or polished with a (boar's) tooth, or a shell." |
| 21675 | But some sheets of papyrus were much larger than the best of |
| 21676 | Eomau time ; the Turin papyrus of kings was at least 14.^ inches |
| 21677 | in breadth, which was of the early age of the Grreat Remeses ; |
| 21678 | and I have seen one of 17 and another of 18 inches, of the time |
| 21679 | of the 19th dynasty. (See At. Eg. W., voL iii. 61, and 146 to |
| 21680 | 151, 185 ; see n." ch. 36, and n. '■ ch. 92, Book ii.)— [G. W.] |
| 21681 | VOL. II. |
| p. 326 | |
| 21682 | 322 GAMES AND PASTIMES. Arp. Book II. |
| 21683 | CHAPTER VI. |
| 21684 | "GYMNASTIC CONTESTS."— Cliap. 91. |
| 21685 | 1. Gymnastic contests. 2. Game of ball. 3. TbimLle-i-ig and other games. |
| 21686 | 4. Mora and draughts. 5. Pieces for draiights. 6. Dice, 7. Other games. |
| 21687 | 1. Gymnastic contests were not confined to the people of Chemmis, |
| 21688 | and contests of various kinds, as wrestling (No. 1), single-stick, |
| 21689 | and feats of strength, were common throughout the country, at |
| 21690 | least as early as the 12th dynasty. Among their amusements was |
| 21691 | 2. the game of ball (so much esteemed by the Greeks and Romans |
| 21692 | also), which they sometimes played by throwing up and catching |
| 21693 | several balls successively, and often mounted on the back of those |
| 21694 | who had missed the ball (the ovoi, " asses," as the riders were the |
| 21695 | ^a-aikiis, of the Greeks.) (No. II.) They had also the sky-ball |
| 21696 | {pvpocM'ioc) which they sometimes caught while jumping off the |
| 21697 | ground (as in Homer, Od. ©. 374). (No. III.) Other games were |
| 21698 | swinging each other round by the arms ; two men sitting on the |
| 21699 | ground back to back striving who should rise first (No. V.) ; throw- |
| 21700 | ing knives into a block of wood, nearest to its centre, or to the |
| 21701 | edge ; snatching a hoop from each other with hooked sticks (No. |
| 21702 | IV.) ; a man guessing a number, or which of two persons struck him |
| 21703 | on the back as he knelt, perhaps like the Greek HoXXa/Sid/xw (Jul. |
| 21704 | Poll. Onom. ix. 7) ; women tumbling and turning over "like a |
| 21705 | wheel," described in the Banquet of Xenophon (see At. Eg. W., |
| 21706 | vol. ii. p. 415 and to the end), for which necklaces and other re- |
| 21707 | 3. wards were given (Nos. VI., VIII.) ; thimble-rig (No. IX.) ; raising |
| 21708 | bags of sand (No. VII.) and other pastimes ; among which were |
| 21709 | contests in boats ; fighting with bulls ; and bull-fights for prizes, |
| 21710 | which last are mentioned by Strabo at Memphis. (No. XL) Still |
| 21711 | 4. more common were the old game of Mm^a ; comp. "micare |
| 21712 | ■ digitis," the modern Italian mora (No. X. Fig. 1 ; No. XIII., Fig. |
| 21713 | 2) ; odd and even (No. X., Fig. 2) ; and draughts, miscalled chess, |
| 21714 | which is " i/crS," a word now used by the Arabs for "men," or |
| 21715 | "counters." (Nos. XII., XIII.) This last was also a game in |
| 21716 | Greece ; where they often threw for the move ; whence Achilles |
| 21717 | and Ajax are represented on a Greek vase calling rqix, Tzifjuqa, |
| p. 327 | |
| 21718 | Chap. VII. SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY. 329 |
| 21719 | CHAPTER VII. |
| 21720 | "GEOMETRY FIRST CAME TO BE KNOWN IN EGYPT, WHENCE IT |
| 21721 | PASSED INTO GREECE."— Chap. 109. |
| 21722 | 1. Greeks indebted to Egypt for early lessons in science. 2. Invention of geo- |
| 21723 | metry. 3. Surveying, geography. 4. Early advancement of the Egyptians |
| 21724 | in science. 5. Thales and others went to study in Egypt. 6. Pythagoras |
| 21725 | borrowed much from Egypt. 7. Heliocentric system. 8. Revived by Coi^er- |
| 21726 | nicus. 9. Pythagoras and Solon in Egypt. 10. Great genius of the Greeks. |
| 21727 | 11. Herodotus unprejudiced. 12. The dial. 13. The twelve hours. 14. The |
| 21728 | division of the day by the Jews, Greeks, and Romans. 15. The Egyptians |
| 21729 | had 12 hours of day and of night./ 16. The week of seven days in Egypt. |
| 21730 | 17. The Aztec week of nine days. 18. The seven-day division in Egypt. |
| 21731 | 19. The number seven. 20. Division by ten. 21. Greek and Egyptian month |
| 21732 | and year of three parts. |
| 21733 | That the Greeks should have been indebted to Egypt for their 1- |
| 21734 | early lessons in science is not surprising, since it is known, in |
| 21735 | those days, to have taken the lead in all philosophical pursuits. |
| 21736 | Thales, the first Greek who arrived at any proficiency in geometry, |
| 21737 | went to study there ; and his example was afterwards followed by |
| 21738 | others, who sought the best school of science and philosophy. |
| 21739 | Pliny's story of Thales" (who was only born about 640 B.C.) teach- |
| 21740 | ing his instructors to measure the height of a pyramid by its |
| 21741 | shadow is sufficiently improbable ; but that it should be repeated, |
| 21742 | and believed, at the present day is surprising; and some appear |
| 21743 | to think the Egyptians incapable of making canals until taught |
| 21744 | by the Greeks. Equally inconsistent is the story of Pythagoras' |
| 21745 | theory of musical sound ; not only because he had visited coun- |
| 21746 | tries where music had long been a profound study, but because |
| 21747 | the anvil (like a bell) gives the same sound when struck by dif- |
| 21748 | ferent hammers, at least when struck on the same part. |
| 21749 | If Plato ascribes the invention of geometry to Thoth ; if lam- 2. |
| 21750 | blichus says it was known in Eg3rpt during the reign of the gods ; |
| 21751 | and if Manetho attributes a knowledge of science and literature |
| 21752 | to the earliest kings ; these merely argue that such pursuits were |
| 21753 | reputed to be of very remote date there ; but the monuments |
| 21754 | prove the truth of the reports of ancient authors respecting the |
| 21755 | early knowledge of geometry, astronomy, and other sciences |
| 21756 | among the Egyptians. Mensuration and surveying were the 3. |
| 21757 | first steps that led to geography ; and the Egyptians were not satis- |
| p. 328 | |
| 21758 | 330 ASTRONOMY, App. Book II. |
| 21759 | fied with the bare enumeration of conquered provinces and towns ; |
| 21760 | for, if we may believe Eustathius, " they recorded their march in |
| 21761 | maps, which were not only given to their own people, but to the |
| 21762 | Scythians also to their great astonishment." |
| 21763 | 4. The practical results of their knowledge had sufficiently proved |
| 21764 | the great advancement made by them ages before the Greeks |
| 21765 | were in a condition to study, or search after science. It was in |
| 21766 | Egypt that the Israelites obtained that knowledge which enabled |
| 21767 | them to measure and " divide the land," and it was the known |
| 21768 | progress made by the Egyptians in the various branches of phi- |
| 21769 | 5. losophical research that induced the Greeks to study in Egypt. |
| 21770 | Those too w^ho followed Thales only varied the theories he had |
| 21771 | propounded, and the subsequent visits of others, as Pythagoras, |
| 21772 | Eudoxus, and Plato, introduced fresh views, and advanced the |
| 21773 | study of philosophy and positive science on the same grounds, but |
| 21774 | with greater knowledge, in proportion as they went deeper into |
| 21775 | the views of their teachers. It was doubtless from Egypt that |
| 21776 | "Thales and his followers" derived the fact of "the moon re- |
| 21777 | ceiving its light from the sun" (Pint, de Placit. Philos. ii. 28; |
| 21778 | Cic. de N. Deor. i., and Diog. Laert. 8), which Anacreon has |
| 21779 | introduced into a drinking Ode (19). |
| 21780 | (IliWt) 6 S' "HXios 6aka<Ta'av |
| 21781 | Tbv 8 HXtov ^fXrjvT]. |
| 21782 | The same was the belief of Aristarchus at a later time (Vitruv. |
| 21783 | ix. 4), and Macrobius (on Cicero's Somn. Scip. i p. 44) says |
| 21784 | " lunam, quae luce proj^ria caret, et de sole mutuatur." |
| 21785 | 6. No one will for a moment imagine that the wisest of the Greeks |
| 21786 | went to study in Eg}^t for any other reason than because it was |
| 21787 | there that the greatest discoveries were to be learnt ; and that |
| 21788 | Pythagoras, or his followers (Plut. de P. Phil. iii. 11), suggested, |
| 21789 | 7. from no previous experience, the theory (we now call Copernican) |
| 21790 | of the sun being the centre of our system (Aristot. de Coelo, ii. 13) ; |
| 21791 | or the obliquity of the ecliptic (see note "^ on ch. 51), or the moon's |
| 21792 | borrowed light, or the proof of the milky way being a collection |
| 21793 | of stars (Plut. PL Phil. iii. 1) derived from the fact that the earth |
| 21794 | would otherwise intercept the light if derived from the sun, |
| 21795 | taught by Democritus and by Anaxagoras, according to Aristotle |
| 21796 | (Arist. Met. i, 8), the former of whom studied astronomy for |
| 21797 | five years in Egypt (Diodor. i. 98), and mentions himself as a |
| 21798 | disciple of the priests of Egypt, and of the Magi, having also |
| 21799 | been in Persia and at Bcxbylon (Clem. Str. i. p. 304). The same |
| 21800 | may be said of the principle, by which the heavenly bodies were |
| 21801 | \ |
| 21802 | } |
| p. 329 | |
| 21803 | Chap. VII. HELIOCENTEIC SYSTEM. 331 |
| 21804 | attracted to a centre, and impelled in their order (Arist. de Coel. |
| 21805 | ii. 13), the theory of eclipses and the proofs of the earth being |
| 21806 | round (ii. 14). These and many other notions were doubtless |
| 21807 | borrowed from Egypt, to whicli the Greeks chiefly resorted, or |
| 21808 | from the current opinions of the " Egyptians and Babylonians," |
| 21809 | the astronomers of those days ; from whose early discoveries so |
| 21810 | much had been derived concerning the heavenly bodies (Arist, |
| 21811 | de Coel. ii. 12). Cicero, on the authority of Theophrastus, |
| 21812 | speaks of Hycetas of Syracuse, a Pythagorean, having the same |
| 21813 | idea respecting the earth revolving in a circle round its own axis |
| 21814 | (Acad. Quaest. ii. 39), which Diogenes Laertius says another Py- |
| 21815 | thagorean, Philolaus, had propounded before him (Life of Philo- |
| 21816 | laus) ; and Aristotle (de Coelo, ii. 13) observes, that though the |
| 21817 | greater part of philosophers say the earth is the centre of the |
| 21818 | system, the Pythagoreans who live in Italy maintain that fire is |
| 21819 | the centre, and the earth being one of the planets rotates about |
| 21820 | the centre and makes day and night. And if Plato mentions |
| 21821 | the same, as Cicero says " rather more obscurely," y>5v . . . slXou- |
| 21822 | ixet/w Ss 'H'spi Tov ^io. TCxyvos TioKo^ TSTapoe'vov (in Tim. 80, p. 530), |
| 21823 | it is probably owing to his having heard of it while in Egypt, |
| 21824 | without giving the same attention to the subject as his prede- |
| 21825 | cessor Pythagoras. This heliocentric system was finally revived 8. |
| 21826 | in Europe by Copernicus after having been for ages lost to the |
| 21827 | world ; though Nicolas of Cus long before his time, and perhaps |
| 21828 | some others, were acquainted with it ; and when Peru was con- |
| 21829 | quered by the Spaniards it was found that the sun had there |
| 21830 | long been considered the centre of our system. |
| 21831 | larablichus says Pythagoras derived his information upon 9. |
| 21832 | different sciences from Egypt ; he learnt philosophy from the |
| 21833 | priests ; and his theories of comets, numbers, and music, were |
| 21834 | doubtless from the same source ; but the great repugnance evinced |
| 21835 | by the Egyptian priests to receive Pythagoras, will account for |
| 21836 | their withholding from him much that they knew, though his |
| 21837 | great patience and his readiness to comply with their regulations |
| 21838 | even to the rite of circumcision (Clem. Strom, i. p. 302), ob- |
| 21839 | tained for him more information than was imparted to any other |
| 21840 | Greek (Plut. de Is. s. 10). Clemens says (Strom, i. p. 303) |
| 21841 | " Pythagoras was the disciple of Sonches the Egyptian arch- |
| 21842 | prophet (Plutarch says of Onuphis, and Solon of Sonchis the |
| 21843 | Saite) ; Plato of Sechnuphis of Heliopolis; and Eudoxus the |
| 21844 | Cnidian of Conuphis ;" and he repeats the story of Plato (Tim, p. |
| 21845 | 466, tr. T.), of the Egyptian priest saying "Solon, Solon, you |
| p. 330 | |
| 21846 | 332 EARLY USE OF THE DIAL. App. Book IL |
| 21847 | Greeks are always children" .... which shows what the general |
| 21848 | belief was among the Egyptians and Greeks, respecting the source |
| 21849 | of knowledge in early times. Strabo indeed (xvii. p. 554) affirms |
| 21850 | that " the Greeks did not even know the (length of the) year till |
| 21851 | Eudoxus and Plato went to Egypt" at the late period of 370 B.C. |
| 21852 | (See also Diodor. i. 28, and 81, and what is cited by Eusebius, Praep. |
| 21853 | Evang. X. p. 480, respecting the visits of several Greeks, Clem. |
| 21854 | Strom, i. 300, and Diog. Laert. Life of Thales, 15 ; and Cicero, |
| 21855 | Somn. Scip. who says " Plato -^g}^tios omnium philosophise |
| 21856 | 10. disciplinarum parentes vsecutus est.") The development given, in |
| 21857 | after times, by the Greek mind to what they learnt originally |
| 21858 | from Egypt, is what showed their genius, and conferred an |
| 21859 | obligation on mankind ; and it is by keeping this in view, and by |
| 21860 | perceiving how the Greeks applied what they learnt, that we |
| 21861 | shall do them justice, not by erroneously attributing to them the |
| 21862 | discovery of what was already old when they were in their in- |
| 21863 | fancy. (See n. ' ch. 35, n. « ch. 51, n. ^ ch. 123.) |
| 21864 | 11. Herodotus, on this as on other occasions, is far above the pre- |
| 21865 | judices of his countrymen ; he claims no inventions borrowed |
| 21866 | from other people ; and his reputation has not suffered from |
| 21867 | the injudicious accusation of Plutarch "of malevolence towards |
| 21868 | the Greeks." |
| 21869 | 12. "The yycifxaiv and the ttoXos" says Herodotus, "were received |
| 21870 | by the Greeks from the Babylonians ;" but they attributed |
| 21871 | the invention of the gnomon to Anaximander, and that of |
| 21872 | various dials to Eudoxus and others ; some again ascribing them |
| 21873 | to Berosus (Vitruv. ix. 9). That the dial was of very early |
| 21874 | date is evident, since in the days of Hezekiah, between three |
| 21875 | and four hundred years before Eudoxus, and about one hun- |
| 21876 | dred years before ilnaximander, it was known to the Jews, as |
| 21877 | is shown in Isaiah xxxviii. 8, and 2 Kings xx. 16, where the |
| 21878 | shadow is said to have been brought "ten degrees {maliith) |
| 21879 | backward, by which it had gone down on the dial {mcduth) of |
| 21880 | Ahaz." The Hebrew word, "step," "degree," n^O ^i^alh or |
| 21881 | maleh, is the same as the Arabic ddraga, " step " or " degree," |
| 21882 | and the Latin gradus ; and is taken from alh, " to go up." Mr. |
| 21883 | Bosanquet has explained the manner in which the sun during an |
| 21884 | annular eclipse caused the shadow to go back in what he supposes |
| 21885 | to have been really a flight of steps, and fixes the date of it in |
| 21886 | January 689. At all events the use of the dial was known in |
| 21887 | Judaea as early as seven centuries before our era, and it is not |
| 21888 | mentioned as a novelty. All that Anaximander could have done |
| p. 331 | |
| 21889 | Chap. YU. THE CLEPSYDEA. 333 |
| 21890 | was to introduce it into Greece, and adoption should frequently |
| 21891 | be substituted for " invention " in the claims set up by the Greeks. |
| 21892 | Indeed they often claimed inventions centuries after they had |
| 21893 | been known to other people ; and we are not surprised at the |
| 21894 | statement of Plato, that " when Solon inquired of the priests of |
| 21895 | Egjrpt about ancient matters, lie perceived that neither he nor |
| 21896 | any one of the Greeks (as he himself declared) had any know- |
| 21897 | ledge of very remote antiquity." (Plat, in Tim. p. 467.) And |
| 21898 | when Thales is shown by Laertius to have been the first who was |
| 21899 | acquainted with geometry, some notion may be had of the very |
| 21900 | modern date of science in Greece, since he was a contemporary |
| 21901 | of Croesus (Herod, i. 75), and lived at a time when Egypt had |
| 21902 | already declined from its greatness, and more than seven centuries |
| 21903 | after astronomical calculations had been recorded on the monu- |
| 21904 | ments of Thebes. Clemens (Strom, i. p. 300) says Thales is |
| 21905 | thought by some to be a Phoenician, and quotes Leander and |
| 21906 | Herodotus ; but the latter only says his ancestors were Phoenician |
| 21907 | (i. 170). |
| 21908 | Vitruvius attributes the invention of the semicircular (con- |
| 21909 | cave) dial, or hemicyclium, to Berosus, the Chaldaean historian, |
| 21910 | who was born in the reign of Alexander, which is reducing the |
| 21911 | date of it to a very recent period. This was a simple kind of |
| 21912 | ■TjroXof (for, as before observed, the Ttokos is the dial, and yvaJ/u-wv |
| 21913 | merely a perpendicular rod which showed the time by the length |
| 21914 | of its shadow — see note '" on ch. 109), and it was very generally |
| 21915 | used till a late period, judging from the many that have been |
| 21916 | found of Roman time. It consisted of a basin, Xexav/s, with a |
| 21917 | horizontal yMwfj.M-n in the centre of one end, and eleven con- |
| 21918 | verging lines in the concave part divided it into the twelve hours |
| 21919 | of the day ; the older dials having been marked by degrees, |
| 21920 | probably like that of Ahaz. The Greeks marked the divisions by |
| 21921 | the first twelve letters of the alphabet, and the last four of these |
| 21922 | reading ZH0I, "Enjoy yourself," are alluded to in this epi- |
| 21923 | gram, ascribed to Lucian (Epigr. 17) : — |
| 21924 | E§ wpai jxax^dois iKavotyTaTai, al 8e fier avrus |
| 21925 | Tpdfifia<Ti BeiKVVfjLevai, ^rjdi Xeyov<Ti (iporois. |
| 21926 | " Eudoxus," according to Vitruvius, "invented the Arachne |
| 21927 | (spider's web), or, as some say, Apollonius ; and Aristarchus of |
| 21928 | Samos the scaphe or hemisphere, as well as the disk on a plane ;" |
| 21929 | which (if he means a dial on a plane surface) was a still further |
| 21930 | improvement, and required greater knowledge for its con- |
| 21931 | struction. The most perfect hydraulic -clock was invented by |
| p. 332 | |
| 21932 | 334 DIVISION OF TIME. App. Book II. |
| 21933 | Ctesibius, at Alexandria, in the time of Ptolemy Euergetes II. ; |
| 21934 | but the more simple clepsydra was known long before, being |
| 21935 | mentioned by Aristophanes, and described by Aristotle (Probl. |
| 21936 | sec. 16, p. 933), and not being then a novelty. (See Athen. |
| 21937 | Deipn. iv. p. 174, and xi. p. 497 ; Vitruv. ix. 9 ; Plin. vii. 37, |
| 21938 | 13. and ii. 76, on the Horologium.) Herodotus says the Greeks |
| 21939 | received the twelve hours from the Babylonians, and the Jews |
| 21940 | are supposed not to have adopted them till after the captivity. |
| 21941 | The first mention of an hour is certainly in Daniel (iv. 19), where |
| 21942 | the name sdh is the same as now used in Arabic ; for though |
| 21943 | even there (as in iii. 6) the sense might require it to mean only |
| 21944 | " moment," the use of the word " time " immediately before, |
| 21945 | shows that salt was a division of time, which is still employed by |
| 21946 | the Arabs in the same sense of " hour " and " moment." |
| 21947 | 14. The Jews at first divided the day into four parts, and their |
| 21948 | night into three watches, and the mention of the dial of Ahaz |
| 21949 | proves that they had also recourse to a more minute division of |
| 21950 | time ; but no hours are specified ; and afterwards, when they |
| 21951 | adopted them, the numbering of their hours was irregular, as |
| 21952 | with the Arabs, being reckoned from sunrise to sunset. The |
| 21953 | Greek word uqa. was used long before hours were introduced into |
| 21954 | Greece. Homer divides the day into three parts (II. xxi. Ill ; |
| 21955 | see note ^ on ch. 173) ; and at Kome it consisted of two, sunrise |
| 21956 | and sunset, meridies or noon separating the two ; and the twelve |
| 21957 | equal parts were adopted B.C. 291. The natural division of the |
| 21958 | circle by its radius of 60° into six parts, and into six |
| 21959 | more by the half of those parts, or by the same radius |
| 21960 | starting from the second diameter, CD, which crosses |
| 21961 | the first, AB, at right angles, may have been the origin |
| 21962 | of this conventional division into twelve parts ; as that into three |
| 21963 | parts may have been the division of the circle by the length of |
| 21964 | its diameter, or 120°, |
| 21965 | 15. The Egyj)tians had twelve hours of day and twelve of night |
| 21966 | at a very early period, but there is nothing to show whether this |
| 21967 | division was first used in Egypt or ChaldEea. The Greeks, how- |
| 21968 | ever, who frequented Egypt from the time of Thales, ought to |
| 21969 | have been acquainted with the twelve hours there, and their |
| 21970 | intercourse being far greater, both for study and for trade, with |
| 21971 | Egypt than with Babylon, we might suppose them more likely |
| 21972 | to receive them from the former than from that inland city ; but |
| 21973 | an intercourse through Asia Minor may have brought them from |
| 21974 | the Babylonians. |
| p. 333 | |
| 21975 | Chap. VII. THE SEVEN-DAY DIVISION. 335 |
| 21976 | It has been a question whether the Egyptians had a week 16. |
| 21977 | of seven days. Dio Cassius (writing in 222 A.D.) evidently |
| 21978 | shows that this was the case when he says : — rcii ojpocs rr,? |
| 21979 | •hl*.ipoi.s y.a.1 vfKTos- aTTo itpurrtS xp^xfASVos dpiBfJuh, nxi ixe/vJOv fxh ru |
| 21980 | K.p6vco S/Xoyr, t^j^v Se btthtx to; Au', kx) rpiTnv"ApEi, TSTxprnv 'Hxlcv, |
| 21981 | -TrsixwrYiv 'A(p§oSi'Tip, 'inrnv'lSipfji.'^, y.al l^^6ixn\ DaXTivyi, xara rriv rat^iv |
| 21982 | Tuv xvyXouv jtaO' -nv ol AlyvTiriOi xur^v yofxi^ovai, xxi tovto y.xi av^is |
| 21983 | WQiridOLS irxcsas yxp ovtus txs Tsntjxqxs axi SDtotnv uqxs 'jTsqicXQuv, |
| 21984 | zvprtrsiis rrtv 7rpc!iT7]v rriS STiiomris rtfxipxs uipxv es tov"Hx»ov a(pJK0jW.c'v7]v' |
| 21985 | xxi rovro xx\ btf^ skei'vwv ruv rsaacipajM kxi aiKoaiv ai^uv x.xra tov xvrov |
| 21986 | r<ns TTpoa^iM Xoyov TrqoL^xs, rri SeXi^v'yiT'yiv ti^wtt^m rris rpizrn nixipxs wqxv |
| 21987 | dvx9ri<Teif, iiolv ovTco y.x\ Sict rouv Xoi7ra;v Tro^cvsri, tov 'Trpo'j'ny.ovTx sxujr) |
| 21988 | Seov UxaTYi Yifxspx Xri-4^£rxi. (Hist. E,om. xxxvii. 19.) This agrees |
| 21989 | with what Herodotus says (ch. 82) of days being consecrated to |
| 21990 | certain Deities, though the fact of the Egyptians having reckoned |
| 21991 | by ten days may argue against it. It must, however, be ob- |
| 21992 | served that the division of the month into decads must date |
| 21993 | after the adoption of a solar year, and that weeks were the |
| 21994 | approximate result of the lunar division of time, which is the |
| 21995 | older of the two. Weeks were certainly used at a very early |
| 21996 | period, as we find from Genesis and the account of the creation ; |
| 21997 | and the importance of the number seven is sufficiently obvious |
| 21998 | from its frequent occurrence throughout the Bible. It was com- |
| 21999 | mon to all the Semitic nations and to those of India ; but in |
| 22000 | China it was only used by the Buddhists, who introduced it there ; |
| 22001 | and the Chinese as well as all the Mongolian races always had |
| 22002 | five-day divisions, and cycles of sixty years instead of centuries. |
| 22003 | The Aztecs of Mexico had also weeks of five days, four of which 17. |
| 22004 | made a month, and the year contained eighteen months of |
| 22005 | twenty days, with five days added at the end, which were un- |
| 22006 | lucky ; as one of them was in Egypt. They had also their |
| 22007 | astronomical computation by months of thirteen days, 1461 of |
| 22008 | which made their cycle of fifty-two years, the same number as |
| 22009 | that of the vague years composing the Egyptian Sothic period. |
| 22010 | That the seven-day division was known to the Egyptians seems 18, |
| 22011 | to be proved by the seven-days fete of Ajjis (a fourth part of the |
| 22012 | number twenty-eight assigned to the years of Osiris' life) as well |
| 22013 | as by their seventy days' mourning for the dead, or ten weeks of |
| 22014 | seven days (Gen. 1. 3) ; and the seven days that the head took |
| 22015 | annually to float to Byblus from Egypt (Lucian. de Dea Syr.), |
| 22016 | the fourteen pieces into which the body of Osiris was divided, |
| 22017 | and his twenty-eight years, evidently point to the length of a |
| p. 334 | |
| 22018 | 336 DECIMAL AND DUODECIMAL CALCULATION. App. Book II. |
| 22019 | week (4 x 7), The time of mortification imposed on the priests |
| 22020 | lasted from seven to forty-two days (one to six weeks) : ol ixkv |
| 22021 | ouoiM y.x\ rsffaac^xiiovToc, ot Se toutuv TrKsiouf, ol oa IXacrjoff, ohoeTrors |
| 22022 | jCAEvToi Tuv eVtoj Xej^o/xs'vaf (Porphyr. de Abstin. iv. 7) ; which |
| 22023 | shows the entire number to have been based on seven, and the |
| 22024 | same occurs again in the forty-two books of Hermes, as well as |
| 22025 | 19. in the forty-two assessors of Amenti. Indeed the frequent occur- |
| 22026 | rence of seven shows that it was a favourite number with the |
| 22027 | Egyptians as with the Jews ; and the Pythagoreans boiTOwed their |
| 22028 | preference for the hebdomal division from Egypt. There is no |
| 22029 | reason to conclude the Egyptians had not weeks of seven days |
| 22030 | 20. because they divided their solar month into the very natural |
| 22031 | division of three parts of ten each ; it would rather argue that |
| 22032 | the original lunar month Avas divided into seven-day weeks, and |
| 22033 | that the decad division was a later introduction, when the |
| 22034 | months were made to consist of thirty days. And as the monu- |
| 22035 | ments are all of a time long after the thirty days were adoj^ted, |
| 22036 | the more frequent mention of a decad instead of the hebdomal |
| 22037 | division, is I'eadily accounted for. Moreover these months of |
| 22038 | thirty days still continued to be called " moons," as at the |
| 22039 | present day. Dion Cassius also distinctly states that the seven |
| 22040 | days were first referred to the seven planets by the Egyptians. |
| 22041 | (See note ' on ch. 82, and note on ch. 8, B. iii.) |
| 22042 | 21. The Gi'eeks, like the Egyptians, divided their month into three |
| 22043 | parts, and their year into three decads of months, corresponding |
| 22044 | to the three seasons of the Egyptians ; and the Roman month |
| 22045 | consisted of calends, nones, and ides, the periods before each |
| 22046 | being of different lengths ; but they afterwards adopted the |
| 22047 | division of weeks, giving the names of the sun, moon, and five |
| 22048 | planets to the seven days we now use. The Egyptians had both |
| 22049 | the decimal and duodecimal calculation, as the tw^elve hours of |
| 22050 | day and night, the twelve kings, twelve gods, twelve months : |
| 22051 | 12 X 30 = 360 days ; and 360 cups at Osiris' tomb in Philge ; |
| 22052 | 12 X 6 =72 conspirators against Osiris ; and 12 x 6 = 72, which |
| 22053 | some fix as the number of days of the embalmed ; and instances |
| 22054 | of both methods of notation are found on the oldest monuments |
| 22055 | of the 4th dynasty.— [G. W.] |
| p. 335 | |
| 22056 | Chap. YITT. HISTORICAL NOTICE. 337 |
| 22057 | CHAPTER VIII. |
| 22058 | HISTORICAL NOTICE OF EGYPT. |
| 22059 | 1 . Fabulous period of histoiy — Rule of the Gods — Xame of Menes ; supposed |
| 22060 | to be ilizraim — Believed to be a real pei-son by the EgArptians, and to have |
| 22061 | founded Jlemphis. 2. This and Memphis — Egyptians from Asia - - Memphis |
| 22062 | older than Thebes. 3. Precedence of Upper Egypt. 4. Earliest notice of |
| 22063 | Thebes — Absence of early buildings. 5. Contemporary kings — Arrange- |
| 22064 | ment of the early dynasties. 6. Uncertainty of chronological dates — Date |
| 22065 | of the Exodus. 7. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd dynasties — Menes and his successoi"3. |
| 22066 | 8. In the 2nd dynasty sacred animals worshipped ; and women allowed to |
| 22067 | hold the sceptre. 9. 4th and oth dynasties. 10. The same customs in the |
| 22068 | early Pyramid period — Mount Sinai — Shafre built the 2nd pyramid. |
| 22069 | 11. 6th dynasty — The prenomen of kings. — 12. 7th, 8th, and 9th dynasties |
| 22070 | — The Enentefs. 13. 11th dyna.sty — Contemporary kings. 14. 12th dy- |
| 22071 | nasty— Osii-tasen III. treated as a God. 15. The labyrinth. 16. The 13th |
| 22072 | dynasty in Ethiopia. 17. Shepherd dynasties — The Hyk-sos expelled. |
| 22073 | 18. The 18thdynasty — The horse from Asia. 19. Thothmes I., II., and III., |
| 22074 | and Queen Amun-nou-het. 20. Conquests of Thothmes III. — His monu- |
| 22075 | ments. 21. Amunoph III. and Queen Taia — The Stranger kings — Con- |
| 22076 | quests of Amunoph III. 22. Country and features of the ."^'ti-anger kings — |
| 22077 | Related to Amunoph. 23. Expelled from Egypt. 24. KiugHorus. 25. The |
| 22078 | 19th dynasty — Remeses, Sethos, and Remeses the Great — Attack and |
| 22079 | defence of fortresses — Pithom and Raamses — Canal to the Red Sea. |
| 22080 | 26. 20th dynasty — Remeses III. — His conquests and wealth — His sons. |
| 22081 | 27. 21st and 22nd dynasties — Priest kings. 28. Sheshonk, or Shishak — Con- |
| 22082 | quers Judaea — Name of Tudah Melchi (kingdom of Judah). 29. Kings' names |
| 22083 | on the ApLs stelae. 30. The 23rd dynasty — Assyi-ian names of the Sheshonk |
| 22084 | family. 31. The 24th dynasty — Bocchoris the Saite — Power of Assyria |
| 22085 | increasing. 32. The 25th dynasty of the Sabacos and Tirhaka. 33. The |
| 22086 | 26th dynasty — Psammetichus succeeded Tirhaka — Correction of chi'onology |
| 22087 | — He married an Ethiopian princess. 34. "War of Psammetichus and desertion |
| 22088 | of his troops. 35. Succeeded by Xeco. 36. Circumnavigation of Africa — |
| 22089 | Defeat of Josiah. 37. Power and fall of Apries — Probable invasion of Egypt |
| 22090 | and substitution of Amasis for Apries by Xebuchadnezzar. 38. Amasis — |
| 22091 | Flourishing state of Egypt — Privileges granted to the Greeks — Treaty with |
| 22092 | Crcesus — Pei-sian invasion. 39. Defeat of the Egyptians — Conduct of Cam- |
| 22093 | byses at first humane. 40. Egypt became a Persian province — 27th or |
| 22094 | Persian dynasty — Revolt of the Egyptians 41. 28th and 29th dynasties |
| 22095 | of Egyptians. 42. 30th dynasty of Egyptians — Xectanebo II. defeated. |
| 22096 | 43. Ochus recovered Egypt. 44. Duration of the Egyptian kingdom. |
| 22097 | The early history of Egypt is enveloped in the same obscurity |
| 22098 | as that of other ancient nations, and begins in like manner with |
| 22099 | its fabulous period. The oldest dynasty therefore given by |
| 22100 | Manetho is said to have been of the " gods and demigods," and |
| 22101 | VOL. II. z |
| p. 336 | |
| 22102 | 338 THE EGYPTIANS FROM ASIA. App. Book II. |
| 22103 | the list of kiugs in the Turin papyrus commences also with the |
| 22104 | rule of the gods, the last of whom was Horus the son of Isis and |
| 22105 | Osiris. And if in the seven last names that remain of that very |
| 22106 | imperfect papyrus the order of the gods does not exactly agree |
| 22107 | with Manetho, still there is sufficient to show that both accounts |
| 22108 | were derived from the same source, universally acknowledged by |
| 22109 | the Egyptian priests. |
| 22110 | The rule of the gods has been supposed to be that of the |
| 22111 | priesthood of those deities who governed the country before the |
| 22112 | election of a king, like the Judges in Israel ; but all accounts |
| 22113 | agree in considering Menes the first king of Egj-pt. His name |
| 22114 | is mentioned .in the sculptures of the temple of Remeses II. |
| 22115 | at Thebes, and in the Turin papjTus, as well as by Manetho |
| 22116 | and other authorities ; and though the frequent occurrence of a |
| 22117 | similar name (as Manes the first king of Lydia, the Phrygian |
| 22118 | Manis, the Minos of Crete, the Indian Menu, the Tibetan Mani, |
| 22119 | the Siamese Manu, the German Mannus, the Welsh Menw, and |
| 22120 | others) may seem to assign him a place among mythical beings ; |
| 22121 | and though he has been thought to be Mizraim, a personification |
| 22122 | of the " two Misrs," or provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt ; |
| 22123 | yet he was believed to be a real personage by the Egyptians |
| 22124 | themselves, and the events of his reign were accepted as un- |
| 22125 | doubted facts. He was represented as having changed the |
| 22126 | course of the Nile, and founded Memj)his on the site thus |
| 22127 | artificially made for it, where he began the famous temple of |
| 22128 | Pthah (Vulcan) ; and the change he made in the habits of the |
| 22129 | Egyjjtiaus was recorded by a stela put up by Tnephachthus, the |
| 22130 | father of Bocchoris, in the temple of Amun at Thebes ; Avhich |
| 22131 | pronounced a curse against Menes for having induced the |
| 22132 | Egyptians to abandon their hitherto simple mode of life. |
| 22133 | Some might be disj)osed to doubt whether This, or any city |
| 22134 | in Upper Egypt, was older than Memphis ; and, as the Egj^tians |
| 22135 | were a people who immigrated from Asia into the valley of the |
| 22136 | Nile, might conclude that they founded their first capital in |
| 22137 | Lower rather than in Upper Egypt. The whole valley indeed |
| 22138 | was peopled from Asia ; and to this day the inhabitants bear the |
| 22139 | evident marks of an Asiatic and Caucasian origin. Nor is it |
| 22140 | necessary to notice the long -exploded notion of civilisation |
| 22141 | having descended, together with hieroglyphic A\Titing, from |
| 22142 | Ethiopia — a country always socially and intellectually inferior to |
| 22143 | Egypt, and where hieroglyphics were only projierly written when |
| 22144 | directly copied from it. |
| p. 337 | |
| 22145 | Chap. VIII. ANTIQUITY OF THIS, MEMPHIS, AND THEBES. 339 |
| 22146 | The colour and features, as well as the conformation of their |
| 22147 | skull, show that the immigration was one of those where a new |
| 22148 | race took entire possession of the land, scarcely if at all amal- |
| 22149 | gamating with the aboriginal population ; and in this the difference |
| 22150 | between the later invasion by the Arabs is evident ; for the old |
| 22151 | Egyptian character is still preserved, and the foreign Arab ele- |
| 22152 | ment has, after a lapse of many centuries, been mostly absorbed |
| 22153 | into that of the native race. There is always this marked differ- |
| 22154 | ence between immigration and conquest, that in the latter the |
| 22155 | invaders are only a powerful minority, marrying the native |
| 22156 | women, and leaving the whole working population in the land ; |
| 22157 | though at the same time it is evident that the foreign admixture |
| 22158 | has the effect of changing the features, and even the colour, of |
| 22159 | the succeeding generations, which are retained long after all the |
| 22160 | other elements are absorbed ; and this explains the resemblance |
| 22161 | of character in the ancient and modern Egyptians, and the |
| 22162 | fact of the varied features of the latter differing so much from |
| 22163 | those both of the ancient Egyptians and the Arabs. |
| 22164 | The monuments at Memphis are undoubtedly much older |
| 22165 | than those of Thebes ; but the precedence always given to Upper |
| 22166 | Egypt seems to prove that some other capital there was older |
| 22167 | than Memphis ; and though no monuments remain at This, still, |
| 22168 | from its being the reputed birthiDlace of Menes, and the chief |
| 22169 | city of the Thinite nome, as well as the royal residence of the |
| 22170 | first or Thinite dynasty, it claims the honour of having been the |
| 22171 | oldest capital of Egypt. |
| 22172 | Both Abydus and Hermonthis, as well as other cities, were |
| 22173 | older than Thebes, wliich is not even mentioned on the altar of |
| 22174 | King Papi ; * and the earliest evidences of the existence of |
| 22175 | Thebes are the tombs of the Enentefs of the 9th d3^nastv, and |
| 22176 | the vestiges of temples built by Amun-m-he I. and Osirtasen. It |
| 22177 | is probable that Thebes succeeded to the smaller city of Hermon- |
| 22178 | this, as This gave place to Abydus; and the absence of early |
| 22179 | monuments of the 8rd and 4th dynasties in Upper Egypt may |
| 22180 | be explained by Memphis having been the royal residence of the |
| 22181 | then great ruling dynasties ; while the monuments which preceded |
| 22182 | that age, from their insignificance, and the transfer of the capital |
| 22183 | of Upper Egypt to a new site, have not ' been preserved, or were |
| 22184 | destroyed at the period of the Shepherd invasion. Nor can any |
| 22185 | argument be safely derived from the absence of monuments of a |
| 22186 | * In the Turin Museum. |
| p. 338 | |
| 22187 | 340 UNCERTAINTY OF EGYPTIAN CHRONOLOGY. A pp. Book II. |
| 22188 | jjarticular era ; for at the pjrramids there are no records of kings |
| 22189 | between the oth and 26th dynasties, except the name of Remeses |
| 22190 | II. on the rock scarped to form the area half encu'chng the |
| 22191 | 2nd pyramid ; and yet several hundred Pharaohs ruled during |
| 22192 | that interval, many of whose names are found in Upper EgyjDt. |
| 22193 | Again, no building remains of any early Memphite king, even |
| 22194 | about Memphis and the pyramids, except those monuments |
| 22195 | themselves and the neighbouring tombs ; and with the exception |
| 22196 | of these, and the Labyrinth, some fragments and small objects, |
| 22197 | some stelae, and the obelisks of Osirtasen I. at Heliopolis and in |
| 22198 | the Fyoom, nothing is met with of old times before the 18th |
| 22199 | dynasty. This may be reasonably ascribed to the invasion of the |
| 22200 | Shepherds, as the preservation of the early tombs may be ex- |
| 22201 | plained by the feeling common at all times of respect for the dead. |
| 22202 | The names of kings and the number of years given by Manetho |
| 22203 | are not all to be taken as of consecutive reigns ; for not only do |
| 22204 | we know, from the authority of Manetho, that there were con- |
| 22205 | temporary " kings of Thebais and of the other provinces of |
| 22206 | Egypt," but the monuments themselves decide this point by |
| 22207 | the mention of the years of one king's reign corresponding vnth |
| 22208 | those of another ; and by the rej)resentation of one king meeting |
| 22209 | another, generally as his superior ; as well as by various state- |
| 22210 | ments in papyi'i and other documents. The manner in which |
| 22211 | the dynasties succeeded, and were reckoned, has been very inge- |
| 22212 | niously explained by Mr. Stuart Poole (suggested as he states |
| 22213 | by Mr. Lane) ; and by this scheme the difficulty of the great |
| 22214 | lapse of time required for so many consecutive Pharaohs, and the |
| 22215 | occurrence of synchronous reigns, have been reconciled. Accord- |
| 22216 | ing to it the first nineteen dynasties were thus arranged : — |
| 22217 | I. THINITES. |
| 22218 | II. |
| 22219 | VII. ' VIIl'. |
| 22220 | ni. Memphites. |
| 22221 | rv. |
| 22222 | VI. |
| 22223 | V. Elephantiues. |
| 22224 | IX. Heracleopolites. |
| 22225 | X. |
| 22226 | Ltiospolites. |
| 22227 | XI. |
| 22228 | xu. |
| 22229 | XIII. |
| 22230 | XVIII. |
| 22231 | XIX. |
| 22232 | XIV. Xoites. |
| 22233 | Jyj 1 |
| 22234 | Shepherds. |
| 22235 | i |
| 22236 | XVll. Shepherds. |
| 22237 | With regard to the age of Menes and the chronology of the 6. |
| 22238 | Egyptian kings, all is of course very uncertain. No era is given |
| p. 339 | |
| 22239 | Chap. VIII. FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD DYNASTIES. 341 |
| 22240 | by the monuments ; which merely record some events that hap- |
| 22241 | pened under particular kings ; and any calculation, based on |
| 22242 | the duration of their reigns given by Manetho, must be even |
| 22243 | more uncertain than that of genealogies. Any endeavour to |
| 22244 | make the chronology of Egypt conform to the date of the |
| 22245 | Exodus, or any other very early event mentioned in the Bible, |
| 22246 | would also lead to unsatisfactory results, since the Bible chro- |
| 22247 | nology is itself uncertain — the different versions of it assigning |
| 22248 | different dates to the same events. If therefore we wish to |
| 22249 | examine any portion of Egyptian chronology with a desire to |
| 22250 | ascertain the truth, we must look for facts rather than depend |
| 22251 | on what are merely accepted as established opinions ; and be |
| 22252 | satisfied to wait for further information from such monumental |
| 22253 | records as may furnish us with astronomical data. Again, it is |
| 22254 | difficult to ascertain what periods accord exactly with those of |
| 22255 | other people ; nor indeed, if we knew the very reign in which the |
| 22256 | Exodus took place, could we determine for certain its date ; and |
| 22257 | even the time of Shishak who invaded Judaea cannot be fixed |
| 22258 | with precision. If therefore I abstain from assigning dates to |
| 22259 | all the reigns of the Pharaohs it is owing to the uncertainty of |
| 22260 | Egyptian chronology ; though I am inclined to think that the |
| 22261 | arguments used by the Duke of Northumberland for placing the |
| 22262 | Exodus after the reign of Remeses II. have greater weight than |
| 22263 | my own in favour of the reign of Thothmes III.* |
| 22264 | It would certainly be more agi'eeable to the writer, as well as |
| 22265 | to the reader, of Egyptian history, if the dates of the accession of |
| 22266 | each king and the events of his reign could be described as |
| 22267 | established facts, without the necessity of qualifying them by a |
| 22268 | doubt ; but this cannot be done : and if it is necessary to break |
| 22269 | the thread of the history by conjectures, the uncertain nature of |
| 22270 | our authorities must plead an excuse. Indeed we may be well |
| 22271 | contented to have any approach towards the determination of |
| 22272 | events that happened in so remote an age. |
| 22273 | \_First, Second, and Third I)ynastie8.~\ — Menes having ren- |
| 22274 | dered his name illustrious by improving the country, and even |
| 22275 | (according to Eusebius) by conquests beyond the frontier of |
| 22276 | Egypt, was killed by a hippopotamus, and was succeeded by |
| 22277 | his son Athothis. The long reign of Menes, 62 years accord- |
| 22278 | ing to Africanus (or 30 according to Eusebius), and that of |
| 22279 | Kenkenes, 31 (or 39), seem to argue that even in the time |
| 22280 | of Menes, his son Athothis ruled conjointly with him, during |
| 22281 | * Mentioned in Chapter ii. of my At. Eg. vul. i. p. 77-81, |
| p. 340 | |
| 22282 | 342 |
| 22283 | SUCCESSORS OF MENES. |
| 22284 | A pp. Book II. |
| 22285 | the last 30 years of his reign ; and the sum of the two, 80 of |
| 22286 | Menes and 27 of Athothis, accord exactly with the 57 given |
| 22287 | by African as to Athothis : from which we may infer that Menes |
| 22288 | reigned 32 j^ears alone, and 30 conjointly with his son, com- |
| 22289 | pleting the 62 years of Africanus; and that Athothis having |
| 22290 | ruled 27 after his father's death, his reign was calculated by |
| 22291 | Africanus at (30 + 27) 57 years. At the same time that |
| 22292 | Athothis shared the Thinite throne with his father, Nekherophis |
| 22293 | (or Nekherokhis) was probably appointed to rule the new city |
| 22294 | Memphis and the lower country, and having reigned 28 years |
| 22295 | (or two less than Athothis with his father Menes), Athothis then |
| 22296 | succeeded to both thrones ; and the two additional years of his |
| 22297 | Memphite rule, added to the 27 of his Thinite, coincide ynth. his |
| 22298 | computed reign of 29 at Memphis. For the 3rd dynasty ruled |
| 22299 | coutemjDoraneously with the first, being an offset from it ; and it |
| 22300 | is evident that its second king, Tosorthrus or Sesorthus, was the |
| 22301 | same as Athothis : — the latter being " the builder of tlie palace |
| 22302 | at Memphis, and a physician who wrote the books on anatomy ;" |
| 22303 | and Tosorthnis being "called Asclepius, from his medical know- |
| 22304 | ledge, the first who built with hewn stone, and a great patron of |
| 22305 | literature." This will be more clearly understood by the following |
| 22306 | contemporaneous arrangement of the 1st and 3rd dynasties : — |
| 22307 | rr\ |
| 22308 | 1st Dynasty |
| 22309 | of i |
| 22310 | TiUXlTES. I |
| 22311 | AWW |
| 22312 | J |
| 22313 | Menes, |
| 22314 | Athothis, |
| 22315 | 32 years alone, |
| 22316 | 21 more |
| 22317 | and 30 with |
| 22318 | alone. |
| 22319 | Athothis. |
| 22320 | Kenkenes, |
| 22321 | (31 or) 39 years. |
| 22322 | 3rd Dynasty |
| 22323 | of |
| 22324 | JNIemphites. |
| 22325 | ^ekherophis, |
| 22326 | 28 years |
| 22327 | contemporary |
| 22328 | with |
| 22329 | Menes. |
| 22330 | (Athothis) |
| 22331 | or |
| 22332 | Tosorthrus, |
| 22333 | 29 years at |
| 22334 | Memphis. |
| 22335 | TjTeis, |
| 22336 | 7 years. |
| 22337 | Mesokhris, |
| 22338 | 17 years. |
| 22339 | So}T)hi8, |
| 22340 | 16 years. |
| 22341 | 1st Dynasty |
| 22342 | of |
| 22343 | Thinites— |
| 22344 | continued. |
| 22345 | Venephes, |
| 22346 | 23 years. |
| 22347 | Usaphaedus, |
| 22348 | 20 years. |
| 22349 | Miebidus, |
| 22350 | 26 years. |
| 22351 | Semepses, |
| 22352 | 18 years. |
| 22353 | Bienekhes, |
| 22354 | 26 years. |
| 22355 | 3rd Dynasty |
| 22356 | of |
| 22357 | Memphites |
| 22358 | — continued. |
| 22359 | Tosertasis, |
| 22360 | 19 years. |
| 22361 | Akhes, |
| 22362 | 42 years. |
| 22363 | Sephiiris, |
| 22364 | 30 years. |
| 22365 | Kerpheres, |
| 22366 | 26 years. |
| p. 341 | |
| 22367 | Chap. VIII. FOURTH AND FIFTH DYNASTIES. 343 |
| 22368 | The monuments afford us no information respecting the suc- |
| 22369 | cessors* of Menes in the 1st dynasty; but if the account in |
| 22370 | Manetho of the learning of Athothis be true ; if " the Libyans |
| 22371 | revolted in the reign of Nekherophis, and submitted again |
| 22372 | through fear on a sudden increase of the moon ;" and if Menes |
| 22373 | changed the course of the Nile (as Herodotus states), their |
| 22374 | power, and the advancement already made by the Egyptians in |
| 22375 | science, must have been considerable at that period ; and this |
| 22376 | is further confirmed by Manetho's account of Venephes, who |
| 22377 | lived little more than half a century after Menes, being the |
| 22378 | builder of the pyramids near Kokhome. |
| 22379 | According to Manetho, it was during the reign of the second |
| 22380 | king of the 2nd dynasty, Khseekhos, or Cechous, that "the bull |
| 22381 | Apis at Memphis, Mnevis at Heliopolis, and the Mendesian goat, |
| 22382 | were appointed to be gods ;" and under his successor Binothrus |
| 22383 | "it was decreed that women might hold the sceptre;"! which |
| 22384 | rio-ht led in after times to many troubles and changes of |
| 22385 | dynasties, from the claims of foreign princes, both in Asia and |
| 22386 | Ethiopia, to the throne of Egypt, through their marriage with |
| 22387 | daughters of the Pharaohs. |
| 22388 | [Fourth and Fifth Dynasties.'] — The names of the kings of b.c. 2450. |
| 22389 | the 2nd Thinite dynasty are supposed by Mr. Stuart Poole to be |
| 22390 | given in the uppermost line of the Abydus tablet ; and there is |
| 22391 | evidence of some of them having ruled contemporaneously with |
| 22392 | those of the 4tli (Memphite) dynasty : the fouith king, UsesJcef, |
| 22393 | beinaf found together with Soris or Shure, and Menkheres of the |
| 22394 | 4th dynasty, and with OsirJcef and Shafre of the 5th ; while |
| 22395 | some of these, again, occur with Shufic, and others of the 4th |
| 22396 | and oth dynasties. For the 5th, said to be of 9 Elephantine |
| 22397 | (or according to Eusebius of 31) kings, ruled at the same time |
| 22398 | as the 4th Memphites, and 2nd Thinites ; though, from tlieir |
| 22399 | being so frequently found mentioned with the Memphite kings, |
| 22400 | it may be questioned whether they were really from Elephantine, |
| 22401 | and the name of this island was perhaps erroneously substituted |
| 22402 | for that of some other place in Lower Egypt. |
| 22403 | It is not till we come to the kings of the 4th 'dynasty that we |
| 22404 | find any important records of persons who lived under the |
| 22405 | * Dr. Lepsius places Senofro the |
| 22406 | third king after Menes; but he did not |
| 22407 | live till after Shufu, as the tomb where |
| 22408 | his name occurs was erected some time |
| 22409 | later than the Great Pyramid. |
| 22410 | t This custom, and the influence of |
| 22411 | women, may have been derived from |
| 22412 | Africa, where they have so often held |
| 22413 | the sceptre ; and in Upper Ethiopia, as |
| 22414 | in Western Africa, women still foi'm |
| 22415 | the body guard of a king. The respect |
| 22416 | paid them, and their privileges, are |
| 22417 | shown by Pharaoh's conduct to Sarah, |
| 22418 | by the sculptures, and by Diodorus. |
| p. 342 | |
| 22419 | 344 EARLY MASONIC SKILL OF EGYPTIANS. App. Book II. |
| 22420 | Pharaohs ; or sculptures illustratiDg the manners and customs of |
| 22421 | the Eg)^tians ; and though some names of early kings occur in |
| 22422 | detached places, on scarabsei, and other objects, they do not afford |
| 22423 | any clue to their arrangement. |
| 22424 | Shure was the leader of the 4th dynasty ; and his name, found |
| 22425 | by Mr. Perring on the blocks built into the northern pyramid |
| 22426 | of Abooseer, shows him to have been the founder of that monu- |
| 22427 | ment. There are also other names of kings at Sakkara of a |
| 22428 | very early date, some of whom, as the first Tat-here and Osir-n-re |
| 22429 | (Sisires) appear to be of the 2nd and oth dynasties ; and one |
| 22430 | of them in the great pjTamid of Sakkara is not unlike the |
| 22431 | Chnubus-Gneurus of Eratosthenes. Indeed it is reasonable to |
| 22432 | suppose, from their greater vicinity to Memphis, that some of |
| 22433 | the oldest pyramids would be in that spot. |
| 22434 | This may be called the Memphite, or the PjTamid,* period. 10. |
| 22435 | And not only does the construction of the pyramids, but the |
| 22436 | scenes depicted in the sculptured tombs of this epoch, show that |
| 22437 | the Egyptians had already the same habits and arts as in after |
| 22438 | times ; and the hieroglyphics in the gi'eat pyramid, written in |
| 22439 | the cursive character on the stones before they were taken from |
| 22440 | the quany, prove that writing had been long in use. The posi- |
| 22441 | tion too of each pyramid, corresponding as it does with the four |
| 22442 | cardinal points, and the evident object they had in -sdew of ascer- |
| 22443 | taining bv the long line of one of its faces the return of a certain |
| 22444 | period of the year, prove the advancement made by the Egyp- |
| 22445 | tians in mathematical science ; and all these evidences, being- |
| 22446 | obtained from the oldest monuments that exist, introduce them |
| 22447 | to us as a people already possessing the same settled habits as in |
| 22448 | later times. We see no primitive mode of life ; no barbarous |
| 22449 | customs ; not even the habit, so slowly abandoned by all people, |
| 22450 | of wearing arms when not on military service ; nor any archaic |
| 22451 | art. And if some clumsy figures have been found in the neigh- |
| 22452 | bourhood of ]\[emphis, probably of the Srd dynasty, their imj^er- |
| 22453 | fections are rather attributable to the inferior skill of the |
| 22454 | workmen, than to the habitual style of the period; and rude |
| 22455 | figures were sometimes made long after the 4th dynasty. |
| 22456 | Whatever may have been the style of construction in the |
| 22457 | pyramids of Yenephes, certain it is that in the 4th dynasty, about |
| 22458 | two centuries after Alenes, tlie blocks in the pyramids (of Geezeh), |
| 22459 | * Dr. Lepsius mentions 67 Pyramids, I that the 67 Egyptian Pyramids cannot |
| 22460 | which necessarily represent a large I now be traced, |
| 22461 | number of kings ; but it is unfortunate | |
| p. 343 | |
| 22462 | Chap. VIIL PYRAMID-PERIOD. 345 |
| 22463 | many of whicli were brought from the Cataracts of Syene, were |
| 22464 | put together with a precision unsurpassed by any masonry of |
| 22465 | ancient or rtiodern times ; and all these facts lead to the conclu- |
| 22466 | sion that the Egyptians had already made very great progress in |
| 22467 | the arts of civilisation before the age of Menes, and perhaps before |
| 22468 | they immigrated into the Valley of the Nile. In the tombs of |
| 22469 | the Pyramid-period are represented the same fowling and fishing |
| 22470 | scenes ; the rearing of cattle, and wild animals of the desert ; |
| 22471 | the scribes using the same kind of reed, for writing on the papyrus |
| 22472 | an inventory of the estate which was to be presented to the owner ; |
| 22473 | the same boats, though rigged with a double mast instead of the |
| 22474 | single one of later times ; the same mode of preparing for the |
| 22475 | entertainment of guests ; the same introduction of music and |
| 22476 | dancing ; the same trades, as glass-bloivers, cabinet makers, and |
| 22477 | others ; as well as similar agricultural scenes, implements, and |
| 22478 | granaries. We also see the same costume of the priests ; and the |
| 22479 | prophet, or Sam, with his leopards' skin dress ; and the painted |
| 22480 | sculptures are both in relief and intaglio. And if some changes |
| 22481 | took place, they were only such as necessarily happen in all ages, |
| 22482 | and were far less marked than in other countries. |
| 22483 | The greatest difference observable is in the form, and in some |
| 22484 | of the ornamental decorations, of the tombs ; though these |
| 22485 | are not owing to any inferiority in taste, or masonic skill, but |
| 22486 | rather to a local style, which differed in certain peculiarities from |
| 22487 | that of Upper Egypt. They are sometimes attributable to the |
| 22488 | period to which they belong ; for the peculiar doorways, and the |
| 22489 | ■ round lintels, of the Memphite necropolis, are also met with in |
| 22490 | the Thebaid, and at Raaineh, some tombs exhibit these and |
| 22491 | other features common to their contemporaries at the pyramids. |
| 22492 | In the Pyramid-period one remarkable fact may also be |
| 22493 | noticed, that the Egyptian sculptors were not bound so rigidly |
| 22494 | to conventional forms in the human figure, as in after times ; for |
| 22495 | not only do their statues then bear a closer resemblance to |
| 22496 | nature, but the delineation of the muscles, as in the arms and |
| 22497 | legs, was more decided ; and the sitting figure of a scribe brought |
| 22498 | from Memphis (and now in the Louvre) shows how much more |
| 22499 | reality was given to the human form, than at a later (which was |
| 22500 | a more conventional) age. That figure, which has far greater |
| 22501 | truth and expression than any of (what is considered) the best |
| 22502 | period — the 18th and 19th dynasties — bears testimony to the skill |
| 22503 | of the early sculptors ; and the style of the hieroglyphics, and |
| 22504 | the drawing of the cattle and other animals, in the tombs, are |
| p. 344 | |
| 22505 | 346 BUILDERS OF THE GREAT PYRAMID. App. Book II. |
| 22506 | often fully equal to those in after times. Thus then no signs |
| 22507 | are found, on the earliest monuments, of a progress from infancy |
| 22508 | to the more advanced stages of art ; as nothing in the customs |
| 22509 | they represent sliows the social condition of the Egyptians to |
| 22510 | have been very different at that early period. |
| 22511 | At the beginning of the 4th dynasty, the peninsula of Mount |
| 22512 | Sinai was already in the possession of the Eg5-]:)tians, and its |
| 22513 | copper-mines were worked by them ; and from the fact of King |
| 22514 | Shure (Soris) being represented at Wady Maghara slaying an |
| 22515 | Asiatic enemy of the same race 8.s those afterwards defeated by |
| 22516 | King Senofro (Senofr), we have evidence of early conquests ; |
| 22517 | though they may not then have extended far be^'ond that penin- |
| 22518 | sula. Of the Pharaohs of the 4th djniasty, the best known to |
| 22519 | us from the monuments and from ancient writers, are Sliure |
| 22520 | (Soris), Suphis (Cheops), and Suphis II. (or Sensuphis, a "brother |
| 22521 | of Suphis "), the Shufu and jV^ouShufu of the monuments, and |
| 22522 | Mencheres or (Mycerinus) 3Ien-Jca-rS. The two Shufus were the |
| 22523 | builders of the Great Pyramid ; and that they reigned together |
| 22524 | is shoY/n by the number of years ascribed to their reigns ; by |
| 22525 | their names being both found among the quarry-marks on the |
| 22526 | blocks used in that monument ; by their being on the sculptured |
| 22527 | walls of the same tomb behind the great p}Tamid ; and by this |
| 22528 | pyramid having two funereal chambers, one for each king, rather |
| 22529 | than, as generally supposed, for the king and queen. The name |
| 22530 | of Men-ha-re was found in the 8rd pp'amid, as his coffin attests, |
| 22531 | which is now in the British Museum. |
| 22532 | The ovals of the four first kings of the 5th dynasty, Osirkef |
| 22533 | (Usercheres), Shafre (Sephres), Nojr-ir-Ke-re (Nephercheres), |
| 22534 | and Osir-ii-rd (Sisires), have been found with those of the 4th |
| 22535 | dynasty ; and one of them, Shafre, called in the sculptures " of |
| 22536 | the little pyramid," appears to have been the founder of the |
| 22537 | second pyramid ; but though he ought really to answer to the |
| 22538 | Cophrenes of Herodotus, the honour of founding the 2nd pyra- |
| 22539 | mid has been ascribed to the 2nd Suphis. His reign was long, |
| 22540 | and the names of more persons of rank, who lived under Shafre, |
| 22541 | are found in the vicinity of the pyramids, than of those who |
| 22542 | lived under the other Elephantine, Memphite, and Thinite kings. |
| 22543 | The names of Pharaohs of the Pyramid-period are not found in |
| 22544 | the Thebaid, and rarely in Central Egypt ; and even where they |
| 22545 | do occur, it is not on any monuments erected by them, but only |
| 22546 | in tombs of individuals who lived in their reigns ; as at Isbayda |
| 22547 | (nearly opposite Hermopolis), where Shufu and Osirkef are found |
| p. 345 | |
| 22548 | Chap. VIII. |
| 22549 | SIXTH DYNASTY. |
| 22550 | 347 |
| 22551 | together in the tomb of a man who was probably governor of the |
| 22552 | nome at that period. |
| 22553 | 11. '[Sixth Dynasty.'] — Those of the next, or 6th, dynasty of b.c. 2240. |
| 22554 | Memphites, are more frequently met with in Central, and even |
| 22555 | in Upper, Egypt, as in the Cynopolite nome, and elsewhere ; |
| 22556 | and in the tombs at Chenoboscion Papi (or Maire) is found, |
| 22557 | together with Mei'en-re and Nofr-ke-re ; and again with the last |
| 22558 | of these at Beni Mohammed-el-Kofoor. Papi also occurs at |
| 22559 | Mount Sinai and on the Kossayi' road, and even at Silsilis, and |
| 22560 | with Tati on a rock at Eileithyias ; though in the two last |
| 22561 | instances his name may have been merely inscribed by some |
| 22562 | visitor who lived at that period. Papi or Maire has been con- |
| 22563 | jectured by Chevalier Bunsen to be the Mceris of the Labyrinth ; |
| 22564 | and it is not impossible that he may have been the original king |
| 22565 | of that name. |
| 22566 | Other names, again, of kings of this dynasty are found at |
| 22567 | Sioot and elsewhere, but merely on altars and small objects ; |
| 22568 | and if those in the tombs, and on stelae at Mount Sinai, the |
| 22569 | Kossayr road and Middle Egypt, show their rule to have been |
| 22570 | extensive, other monuments, prove that the 11th dynasty |
| 22571 | reigned at the same time in the Thebaid ; and king Sken-il-re |
| 22572 | of this dynasty is stated on a papynis (according to Brugsch) |
| 22573 | to have censured Papi, who ruled in Lower Egypt, for having |
| 22574 | favoured the Shepherd invaders. But there appear to have |
| 22575 | been two kings of this name; the Papi^ however, answering to |
| 22576 | the Apappus of Eratosthenes, Apap* the "giant," the Phiops of |
| 22577 | Manetho's 6th dynasty, who reigned 100 years, is the one most |
| 22578 | usually mentioned on the monuments. Though no buildings |
| 22579 | remain south of Syene of any king before the 18th dynasty, |
| 22580 | except the ruined temples of Amun-iii-he and Osirtasen at Thebes, |
| 22581 | the Labyrinth, and the pyramids and other sepulchral monu- |
| 22582 | ments (owing, as I have stated, to the invasion of the Shepherds) ; |
| 22583 | there are numerous tablets on the rocks, of that early age, which |
| 22584 | are of greater importance for history and chronology even than |
| 22585 | the temples, from their giving the dates of kings' reigns, and |
| 22586 | sometimes from their recording their victories over foreign |
| 22587 | nations ; and through these we have obtained much information |
| 22588 | respecting the chronology, and the contemporaneousness of |
| 22589 | certain kings. |
| 22590 | From these too we learn the change introduced by King Papi, |
| 22591 | * The Egyptian transposition of the |
| 22592 | vowel may require Papi, or Pojxt, to |
| 22593 | read Apnp. Some think the other Papi |
| 22594 | to have been a Shepherd King. |
| p. 346 | |
| 22595 | 348 SEVENTH TO App. Book II. |
| 22596 | of adding a royal prenomen to his phonetic nomen. For before |
| 22597 | his time, each Pharaoh had simply one oval (or cartouche) con- |
| 22598 | taining his name ; and it was Papi who first added a royal |
| 22599 | prenomen, calling himself 3Iaire-Papi. This innovation was |
| 22600 | followed by all succeeding kings ; and the prenomen was pre- |
| 22601 | ferred for designating them, in preference to the name which |
| 22602 | often belonged to several kings. Thus the Thothmes, Amu- |
| 22603 | nophs, Remeses, and others, are more readily distinguished by |
| 22604 | their prenomens than by their name. Kings are also recognised |
| 22605 | by their banner, or square-title. The custom of adding the pre- |
| 22606 | nomen was likewise, as might be expected, adopted by the kings |
| 22607 | of the 9th and 11th dynasties, ruling as they did contempo- |
| 22608 | raneously with those of the 6th ; and on a coffin of one of the |
| 22609 | later Enentefs of the 11th dynasty, found at Thebes, this second |
| 22610 | oval was added subsequently to the inscription containing his |
| 22611 | phonetic nomen, as in the case of Papi at Chenoboscion. The |
| 22612 | last Pharaoh of the 6th dynasty was Queen Nitocris ; whose name |
| 22613 | is given by Manetho, and by the Turin papyrus; and with her |
| 22614 | ended the rule of these Memphite kings. For at this period Lower |
| 22615 | Egypt was invaded by the Shepherds -, who, about 700 years after |
| 22616 | Menes, entered the country from the north-east, and at leng-th |
| 22617 | succeeded in depriving the Memphite princes of their throne. |
| 22618 | [Seventh, Eiglitli, Ninth, and Tenth Di/nasties.]— In the mean- 12. |
| 22619 | time " other kings" ruled in various parts of Egypt, who were |
| 22620 | contemporaries of the 6th, and of part of the 2nd and 5th |
| 22621 | dynasties ; while the 7th and 8th, dispossessed by the Shep- |
| 22622 | herds, merely had a nominal rule in Lower Egypt ; and the 9th |
| 22623 | Heracleopolite dynasty held the Hermonthite districts at the |
| 22624 | B.C. 2240. same time that the 11th reigfted at Thebes. Nor is it improbable |
| 22625 | that the name Heracleopolite has been substituted for Hermon- |
| 22626 | thite ; and the mistake may be accounted for by the names of all |
| 22627 | those kings (except the last) beginning with the characters that |
| 22628 | constitute the title of Hercules, or the God of Sebennytus ; while |
| 22629 | the name of the last, 3Iandotp, or Muntotp II., is the only one |
| 22630 | of them derived from Mandoo, or Munt, the God of Hermonthis. |
| 22631 | At all events it is at Hermonthis that the records of those kings, |
| 22632 | the Enentefs or Ntentefs, are found ; and their allianra with the |
| 22633 | kings of the 11th Theban dynasty is shown by some Enentefs |
| 22634 | having been buried at Thebes. |
| 22635 | Of the 10th dynasty of Heracleopolites we know nothing, not |
| 22636 | even the names, either from Manetho or the monuments ; but |
| 22637 | the ovals of several kings appear in the Turin papyrus, whose |
| p. 347 | |
| 22638 | Chap. VIII. ELEVENTH DYNASTIES. 349 |
| 22639 | deeds not having been such as 'to merit a place in history are |
| 22640 | unnoticed on the temples and stelse. |
| 22641 | 13. [Eleventh %»a.s-^^.]— That the kings of the 9th were con- b.c. 2240. |
| 22642 | temporaries of the 1 1th, or the earliest Theban, dynasty is proved |
| 22643 | by the fact of the last King Muntotp II. being mentioned on a |
| 22644 | stela of the Kossayr road, together with the first Amun-m-he, |
| 22645 | whom (as Mr. Stuart Poole has shown) he established in the |
| 22646 | kingdom; and an Mientef, one of his predecessors, has been |
| 22647 | found by Mr. Harris in some sculptures near Silsilis with the |
| 22648 | third king of this 11th dynasty, 3Iimtotp I* in an inferior |
| 22649 | position to this Theban king. Muntotp I. reigned at least forty- |
| 22650 | five years, as a stela at Turin, erected during his life-time, con- |
| 22651 | tains the date of his forty-sixth year ; and if not the leader of |
| 22652 | the 11th, or earliest, Theban dynasty, this Muntotp I. was |
| 22653 | evidently the great monarch whom the Diospolite Pharaohs |
| 22654 | placed at the head of their line ; for the list of kings put up by |
| 22655 | Kemeses II., in his temple at Thebes, has no other intervening |
| 22656 | between Menes and Ames the leader of the 18th, Theban, |
| 22657 | dynasty. • Ames, again, traces from him, as in the tomb at |
| 22658 | Thebes recording the members of his family and of that of |
| 22659 | Amunoph I. ; and Thothmes I. and III., Amunoph I. and III., |
| 22660 | and Horus, as well as Sethi and his son Remeses II., all Theban |
| 22661 | kinffs, mention him as if he were the founder of their line. |
| 22662 | Several stelae confirm the contemporaneousness of the kings of |
| 22663 | this period ; and the Turin papyrus shows that Aniun-ih-he I., |
| 22664 | the last king of the 11th dynasty, according to Manetho, was |
| 22665 | twice deposed by other kings. He was also contemporary with |
| 22666 | Muntop II. of the 9th ; and in the last part of his reign with |
| 22667 | Osirtasen I., the leader of the 12th dynasty, whose 44th year |
| 22668 | coincided also with the 2nd year of Amun-m-he II., as the .35th |
| 22669 | year of Amim-mlie II corresponded with the Srcl of the second |
| 22670 | Osirtasen. Other synchronisms likewise occur, which it is not |
| 22671 | necessary to notice more fully ; it is sufficient to show that |
| 22672 | Egypt at this period was not ruled by one sovereign, and that |
| 22673 | the mention in Manetho of Theban and "other kings" is con- |
| 22674 | firmed by the monuments ; and if I have already entered into |
| 22675 | certain details which may appear tedious, I plead as my excuse |
| 22676 | the importance of these synchronous reigns, and of everything |
| 22677 | relating to the succession of the early kings; which will pro- |
| 22678 | bably receive further elucidation from the interesting papyrus in |
| 22679 | * Whom I have called Mnnmopli in the Materia Hieroglyphica. |
| p. 348 | |
| 22680 | 350 TWELFTH TO App. Book II. |
| 22681 | the possession of Dr. Abbott, containing as it does the names of a |
| 22682 | jSken-h-re, an Enentef, and other kings hitherto unknown to us |
| 22683 | from Manetho and the monuments. |
| 22684 | B.C. 2020. \_Tivelfth Dynasty^ —The Osirtasens and Amun-m-hes were 14. |
| 22685 | powerful kings ; and Osirtasen I. is shown by the remains of |
| 22686 | temples he founded to have ruled the whole of Egypt, from the |
| 22687 | Delta to the second cataract : — an obelisk of his still stands at |
| 22688 | Heliopolis ; a fallen one is in the Fyoom ; and his name appears |
| 22689 | in the oldest portion of the great temple of Karnak at Thebes, |
| 22690 | in a ruined temple opposite Eileithyias, and in another near |
| 22691 | Wady Halfeh. Sepulchral stelae bearing his name have also |
| 22692 | been found in the Necropolis of Abydos, and historical ones in |
| 22693 | other places ; and he even extended his conquests into Ethiopia. |
| 22694 | A stela of the 28th year of Amun'm-he II. was found at a |
| 22695 | watering-place in the desert near Kossayr, recording his con- |
| 22696 | quests over the people of Pount, and another of Osirtasen II. |
| 22697 | at the same place which was probably connected with the trade |
| 22698 | of the Red Sea ; and though the third Osirtasen has not left |
| 22699 | the same number of monuments as the first of that name, yet |
| 22700 | many of his stelae are found at Mount Sinai, the Kossayr road, |
| 22701 | the first cataract, and other places ; and it is a curious fact, that |
| 22702 | he is treated as a god by some of the kings of the 18th dynasty, |
| 22703 | as by Thothmes III. at Seraneh, and by Thothmes IV. at Amada |
| 22704 | in Lower or Egyptian Ethiopia. |
| 22705 | It is difficult to assign a reason for this unusual honour; but even |
| 22706 | though the first Osirtasen was the original Sesostris, there may |
| 22707 | have been some events connected with Ethiopia which led to the |
| 22708 | great respect paid to the memory of the third Osirtasen, and which |
| 22709 | even gave him a claim to the name of that renowned conqueror ; |
| 22710 | and the peculiar sanctity he enjoyed accords with Manetho's |
| 22711 | account of Sesostris, that " he was considered by the Egyptians |
| 22712 | the first (or greatest) after Osiris." The title "good," intro- |
| 22713 | duced into one of the variations of his name, may also have |
| 22714 | reference to this excellence ; and it is possible that his conquests |
| 22715 | in Ethiopia in his 8th year, and the establishment of the Egyp- |
| 22716 | tian frontier at Semneh, together with his successes over the |
| 22717 | Negroes, may have made him conspicuous as a conqueror as |
| 22718 | well as a benefactor of his country ; and it is to this Sesostris |
| 22719 | that Herodotus appears really to allude, when he says he was |
| 22720 | the first king who ruled in Ethiopia. |
| 22721 | The acts of the next king mentioned by Manetho accord still 15. |
| 22722 | more correctly with what we learn from the monuments ; and |
| p. 349 | |
| 22723 | Chap. VIIL FOUETEENTH XOITE DYNASTIES. 351 |
| 22724 | his Lachares, or Labaris, " who built the Labyrinth as a tomb |
| 22725 | for himself in the Arsinoite nome," is evidently the Annin- |
| 22726 | iii-he III. whose name has been found by Dr. Lepsius in that |
| 22727 | buildincf. Some have thought the name Labaris to be the |
| 22728 | origin of Labyrinth ; but it is more probable that the reading in |
| 22729 | Manetho, /xeQ' ov Aa/xa^js-, should be /asQ' ov Ss Map? ; for he was |
| 22730 | the Moeris of the Labyrinth and doubtless of the lake also ; and |
| 22731 | the observations of the annual inundations at Semneh, made by |
| 22732 | Amim-m-he III. confirm the belief that he was the king whose |
| 22733 | grand hydraulic works ennobled the name of Mceris.* These last |
| 22734 | also show that Amiin-m-hes dominion extended from Ethiopia |
| 22735 | to the neighbourhood of Memphis. The governors of nomes in |
| 22736 | central Egypt were also appointed at this period by the Pharaohs |
| 22737 | of the 1 2th dynasty, as we learn from the tombs of Beni Hassan |
| 22738 | and El-Bersheh ; where the names of the two first Osirtasens are |
| 22739 | found. In a tomb near El-Bersheh is given the mode of drawing |
| 22740 | a colossus on a sledge, with gardening and other scenes ; and the |
| 22741 | caves of Beni Hassan are well known for the numerous paintings |
| 22742 | that illustrate so fully the manners and customs of the Egyptians, |
| 22743 | and for the character of their early architecture, with its fluted |
| 22744 | columns, — the protot}'pe of the Greek Doric. |
| 22745 | The oldest date, on the monuments, of Osirtasen J.f (the |
| 22746 | Sesonchosis of Manetho), is his 44th year ; of Amim m-Jie II. |
| 22747 | (Ammenemes) his 35th ; of Osirtasen II., his 3rd ; of Osir- |
| 22748 | tasen III, his 14th ; and of Amun-m-he III, his 44th : showing |
| 22749 | that of Manetho's dates, which are 46, 38, 48, 8, and 8 years, |
| 22750 | the two last are far too little, and that no reliance can be placed |
| 22751 | upon them ; but his order of these kings, Ammenemes, or Amim- |
| 22752 | ih-he I. being the last of the 11th, and Sesonchosis, or Osir- |
| 22753 | tasen I. the first of the 12th dynasty, is confirmed by the monu- |
| 22754 | ments and the Turin papyrus. |
| 22755 | 16. \Tliirteentli Theban, and Fonrteeyith Xo'ite, Dynasties.'] — The b.c. 1860. |
| 22756 | succeeding Theban dynasty, the 13th, appears to have been |
| 22757 | deprived of its authority, even at Thebes ; and the discovery |
| 22758 | of the ovals of these kings in Ethiopia, many of whom had the |
| 22759 | Ethiopian name Sabaco, together with the evidence of the old |
| 22760 | monuments of Amun-m-he I. and Osirtasen L having been |
| 22761 | * It was probably from the higher |
| 22762 | level of the Nile above Silsilis that the |
| 22763 | canal first led the water to the Lake |
| 22764 | Mceris (and to the general tank system |
| 22765 | of Egypt) in the time of this king ; the |
| 22766 | river offering a greater fall of water |
| 22767 | before the rocks of Silsilis gave way. |
| 22768 | See n. ' ch. iii. and App. ch. iv. 4. |
| 22769 | t Tlie two signs beginning his name, |
| 22770 | and that of Osiris, may be a double s ; |
| 22771 | and hence Ssiris, or Siris, would stand |
| 22772 | for s, in Sethi. Sals, Siout, &c., have |
| 22773 | the double s. |
| p. 350 | |
| 22774 | 352 SHEPHERD DYNASTIES. App. Book IT. |
| 22775 | thrown down at Thebes, argue that they took refuge in Ethiopia |
| 22776 | when the Shepherds advanced into Upper Egypt, and seized its |
| 22777 | capital. Manetho indeed relates that the Shepherd kings made |
| 22778 | long and constant attacks on the Egyptians ; which the Pharaohs |
| 22779 | of the 11th dynasty were still able to withstand; for one of |
| 22780 | them, Amun-m-he III. (as I have just stated), retained all |
| 22781 | middle Egypt, including the modern Fyoom ; and it was pro- |
| 22782 | bably not till the reign of his second successor, the Skemiophris |
| 22783 | of Manetho, the last of the 11th dynasty, that the Thebaid fell |
| 22784 | into their hands. This, their gradual conquest of the country, |
| 22785 | will account for different periods having been assigned to it, and |
| 22786 | to the duration of their rule. And the flight of the Egyptian |
| 22787 | kings into Ethiopia is" evidently the origin of the story told by |
| 22788 | Manetho, of a similar event ; though his copyists, to suit their |
| 22789 | own purposes, have attributed to a different cause, and to the |
| 22790 | later period of " Amenophis," what really happened during the |
| 22791 | Shepherd invasion. Of the lith dynasty, of Xo'ites, no names |
| 22792 | are given either by Manetho, or the monuments ; though they |
| 22793 | appear to be mentioned in the Turin papyrus, |
| 22794 | r..c. 2031. [^Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth I) y nasties — SJiepherds.'] — 17. |
| 22795 | These invaders constituted the 15th, 16th, and 17th dynasties |
| 22796 | of Manetho ; and the statement that the 17th was composed of |
| 22797 | an equal number of Shepherds and Theban kings is evidently |
| 22798 | erroneous. Their occupation of Egypt was probably owing, not |
| 22799 | to a mere love of conquest, but to the desire of maintaining |
| 22800 | a right they claimed to the throne, through marriages with |
| 22801 | the family of the Pharaohs, or to an invitation from some one of |
| 22802 | the inferior Egyptian princes who had been dispossessed of |
| 22803 | his government; and either of these would account for their |
| 22804 | having obtained possession of part of Lower Egypt "without a |
| 22805 | battle," and for their having received assistance from some of the |
| 22806 | Egyptians. Nor was their rule like that of a people who had |
| 22807 | entered the country for the sake of conquest ; their religion was |
| 22808 | different, and they treated that of the Egyptians with disrespect ; |
| 22809 | but they were at one time on terms of amity with some of the |
| 22810 | kings of other parts of Egypt ; and they so augmented the power |
| 22811 | of the country they governed, that on their expulsion, Egypt, |
| 22812 | instead of having suffered under their rule, rose immediately to |
| 22813 | that flourishing condition it enjoyed under the Pharaohs of the |
| 22814 | 18th dynasty. But though the power of Egypt was not dimi- |
| 22815 | nished, the people naturally regretted their native princes ; and |
| 22816 | even if all the cruelties said to have been perpetrated by these |
| p. 351 | |
| 22817 | Chap. VIII. IN^^ASTON OF EGYPT BY AN ARAB RACE. 353 |
| 22818 | foreigners were exaggerated, still their usurpation, and the con- |
| 22819 | tempt with Avhich they treated the religion of Egypt, made their |
| 22820 | rule odious and insupportable ; so that the name of Shejjherd |
| 22821 | continued for ever to be "an abomination unto the Egyptians." |
| 22822 | It is not easy to determine what race of people they were ; and |
| 22823 | they have been variously pronounced to be Assyrians, Scythians, |
| 22824 | Cushites (or Ethiopians) of Asia, Phoenicians, or Arabians. |
| 22825 | Mauetho calls them " Phoenicians," and shows them not to have |
| 22826 | been from Assyria, when he says they took precautions against |
| 22827 | " the increasing power of the Assyrians ;" and the character of |
| 22828 | " Shepherds " accords far better with that of the people of Arabia. |
| 22829 | Indeed the name Hyk-sos may be translated " Sliepherd," or |
| 22830 | " Arab, kings ;" hjk being the common title " king," or " ruler," |
| 22831 | given even to the Pharaohs on the monuments, and shos, signi- |
| 22832 | fying " shepherd," or answering to Shaso, "Arabs." How any of |
| 22833 | the Arabians had sufficient power to invade, and obtain a footing |
| 22834 | in, Egypt, it is difficult to explain ; but it is well known that a |
| 22835 | people from Arabia, called Phoeiiicians,'^ or the red race, who were |
| 22836 | originally settled on the Persian Gulf, invaded Syria, and took pos- |
| 22837 | session of the coast ; and similar successes may have afterwards |
| 22838 | attended their invasion of Egypt, especially if aided by the alliance |
| 22839 | of some of its princes. The statement too of Amos (ix. 7), that the |
| 22840 | Philistines of Syria came from Caphtort (which was a name applied |
| 22841 | to Egypt), may relate to this subsequent passage of another body |
| 22842 | of Phoenicians into Syria, after their expulsion from Egypt. |
| 22843 | Having held possession of Egypt 511 (or, according to the |
| 22844 | longest date, 625) years, the Shepherds were driven out hy Ames, |
| 22845 | or Amosis, the iirst king of the 18th dynasty; and the whole of |
| 22846 | the country was then united under one king, who justly claimed |
| 22847 | the title of Lord of the " two regions," or " Upper and Lower |
| 22848 | Egypt.'^ From that time the events mentioned by Manetho, |
| 22849 | and his succession of kings, freed from the confusion of contem- |
| 22850 | porary reigns, might have been clear and satisfactory, had it not |
| 22851 | been for the errors (often purj)0sely) introduced by his copyists, |
| 22852 | who endeavoured to mix up the account of the sojourn of the |
| 22853 | Israelites, and their Exodus, with the history of the Shepherds ; |
| 22854 | and the similarity of the names Amosis and Tethmosis (Aahmes,:}: |
| 22855 | or Amds, and Thothmes), added to the confusion. |
| 22856 | * If the PhcBiiicians are Hamites and i f Copthor, or Kebt Hor, was the old |
| 22857 | Cushites, their coming from Arabia will |
| 22858 | accord with their being thought Arabi- |
| 22859 | ans, and with the "second" invasion |
| 22860 | of Egypt by a Cushite race (infra, § 23), |
| 22861 | VOL. II. 2 A |
| 22862 | name of Coptos. (See ch. 15, n. ^, B. ii.) |
| 22863 | X Aahmes, lohmes, or Amc^s, from |
| 22864 | which were made the names of Amosis |
| 22865 | and Amasis. |
| p. 352 | |
| 22866 | 354 THE HORSE — EEIGN OF AMUNOPH I. App. Book II. |
| 22867 | K.c. 1520. \_Eighteenth Dynasty.'] — With the 18lh dynasty commences a 18. |
| 22868 | more continuous monumental history of Egypt ; but there is no |
| 22869 | authority from Manetho or the monuments for dividing the his- |
| 22870 | tory of Egypt into the "okl, middle, and new kingdoms :" nor |
| 22871 | was the whole of the country ruled by each king of the different |
| 22872 | dynasties in succession, during the period that elapsed from Menes |
| 22873 | to Amosis. |
| 22874 | Eg3^pt had long been preparing to free itself from the yoke of |
| 22875 | the Shepherds ; and weakened by successive defeats, and opposed |
| 22876 | to the united forces of the Theba'id and Ethiopia, under the ener- |
| 22877 | getic guidance of Amosis, these foreigners were unable to main- |
| 22878 | tain their authority in the country ; and an inscription of the 22nd |
| 22879 | year of Amosis, in the quarries of Masarah, saying that stones had |
| 22880 | been cut there by his order for the temple of Pthah at Memphis, |
| 22881 | as well as for that of Amun at Thebes, proves that Lower Egypt |
| 22882 | had already been recovered from them. In the tomb at Eilei- |
| 22883 | thyias, of a captain of the fleet of the same name as the king |
| 22884 | (Aahmes), that officer is said to have gone to Tanis during his |
| 22885 | reign ; so that the Shepherds must then have been expelled from |
| 22886 | the whole of the country ; and Apioa (according to Clemens) |
| 22887 | shows the Hyksos were driven from Avaris, their last stronghold, |
| 22888 | by Aim's. This appears to be confirmed by the inscription at |
| 22889 | Eileithyias, and by Manetho's stating that Tethmosis (improperly |
| 22890 | put for Amosis) reigned 26 years after their departure. |
| 22891 | During his reign mention is first made of the horse on the |
| 22892 | monuments ; from which fact, and from its being often desig- |
| 22893 | nated by the Semitic name Sus, showing that it came from Asia, |
| 22894 | it has been supposed that it was first introduced by the Shepherd- |
| 22895 | kings. If so, they may have been in a great degree indebted |
| 22896 | for their successful invasion of Egypt to their horses and chariots ; |
| 22897 | and if they conferred this boon on the Egyptians, they may be |
| 22898 | looked upon as their benefactors and the causes of their future |
| 22899 | power. Certain it is that neither at the tombs about the pyra- |
| 22900 | mids, nor at Beni Hassan, is there any indication of the horse,* |
| 22901 | though the animals of the country are so numerous in their |
| 22902 | paintings ; and it is singular that in after times Egypt should be |
| 22903 | the country whence horses were imported into Syria by Solomon's |
| 22904 | traders ; and at the time of the invasion by Sennacherib it was in |
| 22905 | Eg}^t that the Jews were said to put then- trust '• for chariots |
| 22906 | and for horsemen." |
| 22907 | See note - on ch. 108, Book ii. |
| p. 353 | |
| 22908 | Chap. VIIT. THOTHMES I. 355 |
| 22909 | Ames apparently claimed his right to the Theban throne from |
| 22910 | Mimtotj) I. (as already stated),* as his successor Amunoph I. |
| 22911 | did from Ske7i-n-re, a later king of the 11th dynasty; and |
| 22912 | Amunoph I. is frequently represented with a black queen, |
| 22913 | Amt'S-nofri-are, who appears to have been the wife of Amts, and |
| 22914 | one of the holy women devoted to the service of the God of |
| 22915 | Thebes.-f- She even had the office held only by priests, of pouring |
| 22916 | out libations to Amun ; and a tablet found by Mr. Harris repre- |
| 22917 | sents Amunoph I. as the foster-child of this queen, at whose court |
| 22918 | Mr. Birch supposes that Ames took refuge, while preparing to expel |
| 22919 | the Shepherds. Indeed it is the marriage of Ames with her which |
| 22920 | is thought to have united the two families, of the 1.3th and 18th |
| 22921 | dynasties. There was also another queen oiAmes, called Aahotp, |
| 22922 | a white woman and an Eg}^tian, who is represented with the |
| 22923 | black Ames-nofri-arS on the same monuments, at Thebes, and in |
| 22924 | the British Museum, but in an inferior position ; and this is readily |
| 22925 | explained by the greater importance of the Ethiopian jmncess. |
| 22926 | The perfect freedom of the country from all further attempts e.g. 1498. |
| 22927 | of the Shepherds enabled Amunoph I. to extend his dominions |
| 22928 | beyond the frontier, and succeeding kings of this dynasty added to |
| 22929 | his conquests both in Africa and Asia. It is also evident | that in |
| 22930 | his reign the Egyptians had already adopted the five intercalary |
| 22931 | days to complete the year of 365 days ;§ as well as the 12 hours |
| 22932 | of day and night ; || and arches of crude brick are found at |
| 22933 | Thebes bearing his name, which prove that they were in common |
| 22934 | use in tombs at that period ; though all these three were doubtless |
| 22935 | of much earlier date than the era of Amunoph, He also added |
| 22936 | some new chambers to the great temple of Karnak ; and his |
| 22937 | name frequently occurs at Thebes, especially in tombs belonging |
| 22938 | to individuals who lived in his reign. |
| 22939 | The names of the kings of the 18th dynasty agree pretty well |
| 22940 | with those in Manetho ; but not sufficiently to show" that we can |
| 22941 | rely implicitly on him for those in other dynasties, where the |
| 22942 | monuments fail us as guides ; for his second king, Chebron, is |
| 22943 | not found on the monuments, and there is some imcertainty |
| 22944 | about others even in this dynasty. |
| 22945 | 19. Thothmes I., the successor of Amunoph, has left an inscription b.c. 1478. |
| 22946 | * Supra, § 13. |
| 22947 | t Queens seem to have taken this |
| 22948 | office aftei- the death of their husbands. |
| 22949 | Ame's-uofri-are is styled^ " Goddess-wife |
| 22950 | of Amun." |
| 22951 | J From a sepulchral box from Thebes, |
| 22952 | now in the Museum at Tmin, bearing |
| 22953 | his name. |
| 22954 | § See Appendix to Book ii. cu. 11, on |
| 22955 | the use of the year of 365 days. |
| 22956 | {{ On a mummy case at Leyden. |
| 22957 | having his namo. |
| 22958 | 2 A 2 |
| p. 354 | |
| 22959 | 356 |
| 22960 | THOTHMES III. |
| 22961 | App. Book II, |
| 22962 | at Tombos, in Ethiopia, recording his conquests over the NaJisi |
| 22963 | (negroes) in his 2nd year ; and the captain of the fleet already |
| 22964 | mentioned, who was in the service of the Pharaohs from Ames |
| 22965 | to Thothmes II., records his having captured 21 men, a horse, |
| 22966 | and a chariot, in the land of Naharayii, or Mesopotamia ; so that |
| 22967 | the Egyptians must now have extended their arms far beyond |
| 22968 | their own frontier. And when we find that Thothmes I. ruled over |
| 22969 | the land of the nine bows, or Libya, we are not surprised that it |
| 22970 | should form part of his dominions, since Manetho shows that the |
| 22971 | Libyans were already under the rule of Egypt as early as the 3rd |
| 22972 | dynasty. At Thebes he made additions to the great temple of |
| 22973 | Karnak, where one of his obelisks is still standing ; and other monu- |
| 22974 | ments at Tliebes bear his name, as well as that of Thothmes II., |
| 22975 | who made some small additions to the temple at Karnak. But |
| 22976 | little notice is given of the warlike deeds of the second Thothmes, |
| 22977 | beyond his maintenance of the Egj^ptian rule in Ethiopia. |
| 22978 | B.C. 1463. His successor, Thothmes III., made himself far more con- |
| 22979 | spicuous by the numerous buildings he erected in Thebes, and |
| 22980 | throughout Egypt, and by his foreign conquests. But in the |
| 22981 | early part of their reigns, both these princes (the second and |
| 22982 | third Thothmes) were associated on the throne mth Queen |
| 22983 | Amim-oiou-het, who appears to have enjoyed far greater con- |
| 22984 | sideration than either of them, probably owing to her having |
| 22985 | the office of regent. For not only are monuments raised in her |
| 22986 | own name, but she is represented dressed as a man, and alone |
| 22987 | presenting offerings to the gods. Such indeed was her import- |
| 22988 | ance, that she has been supposed to be a princess who conquered |
| 22989 | the country, perhaps even Semiramis, — who is said by Clemens |
| 22990 | {Strom, p. 397) to have governed Egypt ; or, at least, to have had |
| 22991 | a more direct right to the throne than the Thothmes ; and her |
| 22992 | title, ^'Uben-t in the foreign land,"* is singularly in accordance |
| 22993 | with the expression Uben-re, or Ubn-re, " the shining sun," dis- |
| 22994 | covered by Layard on a fragment at Nineveh, bearing that title of |
| 22995 | the sun in hieroglyphics. She was however an Egyptian princess ; |
| 22996 | and probably the Ameusis of Manetho, who is represented to have |
| 22997 | been the sister of Amenophis, and to have reigned nearly 22 j^eare. |
| 22998 | Thothmes III. having attained the requisite age for mounting |
| 22999 | the throne, enjoyed a greater share of the royal power, and his |
| 23000 | name was admitted, together with that of Amun-nou-het, on |
| 23001 | * On a scarabfcus in my possession |
| 23002 | found at Thebes. (For that of Nimrourl, |
| 23003 | see the Transactions of the R. S. of |
| 23004 | Literature, 2nd series, vol. iii. p. 176.) |
| p. 355 | |
| 23005 | Chap. VIII. |
| 23006 | CONQUESTS OF THOTHMES III. |
| 23007 | 357 |
| 23008 | 20. |
| 23009 | some of her later monuments; still he only held an inferior |
| 23010 | position, and he never obtained the chief authority as kino- |
| 23011 | during her lifetime. On a statue of this period she is called his |
| 23012 | " sister ;" * but she was probably only so by an earlier marriage |
| 23013 | of his father; and such was the hatred borne by Thothmes |
| 23014 | against her, that after her death he ordered her name to be |
| 23015 | erased from her monuments, and his own to be sculptured in its |
| 23016 | stead. But this Avas not always done with the care required to |
| 23017 | conceal the alterations ; and sentences of this kind frequently |
| 23018 | occur : " King Thothmes, she has made this work for her father |
| 23019 | Amun." He succeeded, however, in having her name omitted |
| 23020 | from the list of Kings ; and she is not mentioned even in those |
| 23021 | put up at a later time by Remeses II. at Thebes and Abydus. |
| 23022 | The most remarkable of her monuments were the great obelisks |
| 23023 | at Karnak, the largest erected at Thebes, one of which is still |
| 23024 | standing ; and on the opposite side of the Nile she embellished |
| 23025 | the tomb, or rock-temple, of Thothmes I., beneath the cliffs of |
| 23026 | the Assaseef, erecting before it a granite gateway, and making |
| 23027 | many other external additions to its courts ; and numerous |
| 23028 | monuments were put up by her in other parts of Egypt. |
| 23029 | She ruled at least 15 or 16 years, -f* and alone apparently during |
| 23030 | some portion of that time ; but there is a difficulty in deter- |
| 23031 | mining the duration of these reigns, and the relationship of the |
| 23032 | two Thothmes. The Third ruled for a short time after her death ; |
| 23033 | and though he commenced his reign after she had mounted the |
| 23034 | throne, he probably included the reign of Amun-nou-het in |
| 23035 | his own. |
| 23036 | The reign of Thothmes III. is one of the most remarkable in |
| 23037 | the history of the Pharaohs. He extended his arms far into |
| 23038 | Asia, from which he received a large tribute, brought to Egypt |
| 23039 | by the chiefs of the nations he had triumphed over; and who, |
| 23040 | as was the custom of those days, often agreed to make this |
| 23041 | acknowledgment of their defeat without yielding up their country |
| 23042 | to the victorious enemy as a conquered province ;| and the suc- |
| 23043 | cesses obtained by Thothmes over the Pount § (a nation of Ara- |
| 23044 | * l^ow in the British Museum, fouud |
| 23045 | at Thebes. |
| 23046 | f Her IGth j^ear is found on a tablet |
| 23047 | in W. Maghara, given by Laborde, and |
| 23048 | jon the great obelisk at Karnak. |
| 23049 | X In some cases a countrij may have |
| 23050 | been called conquered (by the Egyptians, |
| 23051 | Assyrians, or others), when in fact a |
| 23052 | victory had only been gained over its |
| 23053 | army; perhaps even when that army |
| 23054 | was beyond its own frontier. |
| 23055 | § There appears to be a Pount of |
| 23056 | Southern, and another of Northern |
| 23057 | Arabia. See note 7, ch. 102, and note -, |
| 23058 | ch. 108, Book ii. |
Provenance
Full provenance, licence and citation: part 1.
What the layers are
L0 witness
The text as its witness or edition has it, original spelling; its dialect is a description and is never standardized.
The text as its witness or edition has it, original spelling; its dialect is a description and is never standardized.
L0.5 transliteration
For Egyptian texts: the transliteration with the editors' marks turned into the symbols ° * < > _ ^ (ruled 2026-09-10). For papyri: the edition's Leiden marks as the same symbols, and the editors' readings beside the scribe's as ‹scribe→editors› (ruled PAP-3).
For Egyptian texts: the transliteration with the editors' marks turned into the symbols ° * < > _ ^ (ruled 2026-09-10). For papyri: the edition's Leiden marks as the same symbols, and the editors' readings beside the scribe's as ‹scribe→editors› (ruled PAP-3).
L1 Cairene
Standardized Greco-Bohairic spelling and grammar, generated by code from the layer above under the rulings of the project.
Standardized Greco-Bohairic spelling and grammar, generated by code from the layer above under the rulings of the project.
L2 Kemetic
The Kemetic alphabet, generated by code from L1.
The Kemetic alphabet, generated by code from L1.
English
Quoted translations where they exist, credited; otherwise model drafts, marked as drafts.
Quoted translations where they exist, credited; otherwise model drafts, marked as drafts.