Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

oh. v. SEMITIC DIVINITIES 99

in replacing good old Egyptian words with Semitic
terms, like the following: rosh, head ; sar, king ; belt,
house ; bab, door ; Mr, spring; birkata, lake ; ketem,
gold; shalom, to greet; rom, to be high ; barak, to
bless, and many others. This Semitic immigration
spread so widely that it led finally to the formation of
a mixed people who have held their ground firmly in
the same parts till the present day.

The Egyptians even proceeded to enrich their theo-
logy with divinities of new and foreign origin. At the
head of all stood the half Egyptian and half Semitic
divinity of Set or Sutekh, with the surname of Nub,
' gold,' who was universally considered as the repre-
sentative and kino- of the foreign deities in the land of
Mazor. In his essence a primitive Egyptian creation,
Set gradually became the contemporary representative
of all foreign countries, the god of the foreigners.
In mentioning the names of Baal and Astarte, so fre-
quently met with in the inscriptions, it is scarcely
necessary to point out that both have their origin in
Phoenician theolopw. As at Sidon, so likewise in Mem-
phis, the warlike Astarte had her own temple. Although
less frequently mentioned than the preceding Semitic
divinities, places were assigned in the Egyptian pan-
theon to the fierce Keshpu, ' the lord of long times, the
king of eternity, the ' lord of strength in the midst of
the host of gods ;' and to the goddess Kadesh ; and to
Bes also, the patron of song and music, of pleasure and
all social delights. The Phoenician Onka, and the
Syrian Anaitis are also recognised therein under the
names of Anka and Anta.

Semitic influence in Egypt may also be seen in
the peculiar chronology adopted on the celebrated
memorial stone of Tanis erected in the reign of
Ramses II.