Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 1): Zeus god of the bright sky (Cambridge, 1914)

362 The Ram and the Sun in Egypt

in support of the view that Zeus Amnion was essentially a Greek
god1, whose cult had spread from Europe to Africa, not vice versa.
His conclusion rests largely on the alleged fact that Amen was
never represented by the Egyptians as ram-headed. But that fact
we now know to be no fact. Overbeck was misled by G. Parthey2;
and Lepsius was able to prove that such representations occur as
far back as the reign of Seti i (c. 1300 B.C.)3. This blunder has
unfortunately blinded the eyes of subsequent critics to the force of
other arguments adduced by Overbeck. He justly lays stress on
the early appearance of Zeus Amnion among the accepted gods of
Greece and on the wide popularity that in course of time he
achieved. Of what really barbaric god could it be shown, for
example, that he was portrayed for cult-purposes by Kalamis4 and
other fifth-century artists5, or that he was honoured with public
rites at Athens in 333 B.C.6? In view of these circumstances it is
worth while to enquire whether after all there was not some long-
standing affinity between the Zeus of the Oasis and the Zeus of
continental Greece.

Now it is a well-established fact that during the nineteenth
dynasty Egypt was twice attacked by a combination of northern
tribes. Rameses ii c. 1300 B.C. had to fight the Hittites {Kheta)
and their allies, who included Lycians (Luka), Dardanians (Dar-
denui), Mysians (Masa), Maeonians ? (Maunna?), or Ionians?
(Vaunna?), Pedasians {Pidasa), and Cilicians {Qalaqisa)"''. Again,
in the reign of Merenptah c. 1250 B.C. Egypt was invaded by
Achaeans (Agaiwaasa), Tyrsenians {Thuirsa), Sardinians? or

V V

Sardians ? (Sardina), Sagalassians (Sakalasa), and Libyans (Ladzt)8.
Similarly during the twentieth dynasty Rameses iii between 1200

1 In Souid. s.v." Afxfxwv ovofxa 8eov"K\\f]VLKov Kiister would read Aij3vKov (cp. Dionys.
per. 212 with Eustath. ad locre/uevos AifivKoco deov, Norm. Dion. 40. 392 Aifivs KeKkriiievos
*Kjxfxwv, Eudok. viol. 75 "A/ufxwv Al/3vk6s eari debs /c.r.X., Prop. 4. 1. 103, Ov. ibis 313),
or else understand 'EWrjvlkov as edvLKov, 'gentile' : see G. Bernhardy ad loc. The latter
is the right alternative.

2 G. Parthey ' Das Orakel und die Oase des Amnion' in the Abh. d. berl. Akad. 1862
Phil.-hist. Classe p. 137 f.

3 C.R.Lepsius in the ZeitschriftfiirdgyptischeSpracheund'Altertumskunde' 1877 xv.8ff.

4 Paus. 9. 16. 1 (at Thebes in Boiotia) ov irbppw 8e ccttl vabs"A/jt,fiwuos, xal to ayaKfia
avedy)Ke jxev Jlivbapos, Ka\ct/xt5os 5e eariv Zpyov.

5 A. Furtwangler in the Abh. d. bayer. Akad. 1897 Philos.-philol. Classe xx. 563—565.

6 Dittenberger Syll. inscr. Gr.2 no. 580, 14 ff., 27 ff., no. 606, 19, no. 620, 32 f.

7 See H. R. Hall The Oldest Civilization of Greece London 1901 p. 171 f., G. Maspero
The Struggle of the Nations London 1896 p. 389 ff., E. A. Wallis Budge A History of
Egypt London 1902 vi. 33 ff., J. Garstang The Land of the Hittites London 1910 p. 343 ff.,
W. W. How and J. Wells A Commentary on Herodohis Oxford 1912 i. 420 f.

8 H. R. Hall op. cit. p. 172 ff., G. Maspero op. cit. p. 430 ff., E. A. Wallis Budge
op. cit. vi. 36 f.