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

386 The Ram and the Sun in Egypt

its reliefs were wholly weather-worn. But the inside still ex-
hibited on the east wall 53 columns of hieroglyphs, of which the
middle 47 were complete, and on the west wall 52, with 49 com-
plete. The small blocks of the lower courses and the large blocks
of the upper courses were alike covered with them. Below and
above them were symbolic designs, between which in many places
the original colouring, especially green and blue, could be seen.
The best-preserved figure was that of the horned Amnion seated
at the south end of the temple to receive the homage of human
figures with the heads of jackal and sparrow-hawk. Within the
temple was a great block of marble, which on all four sides showed
a large human head with ram's horns : this may have been the base
on which stood the statue of Zeus Amnion. The head, a hideous
fright of twice life-size, doubtless had reference to him1. Rohlfs
was told by the natives that the temple had been built by Iskender
(Alexander), the founder of Skendria (Alexandreia)2.

Thirty years later (1899) G. SteindorfP was still able to do
good service by making an accurate survey of the rapidly dwindling
ruin and a transcript of its hieroglyphs. The west side-wall of the
inner chamber has now collapsed, and with it the last of the roof-
blocks have fallen. These blocks, of which several strew the
ground, were decorated on their under surface with two rows of
uraeus-snakes and vultures, representing Uatchit the goddess of
the North and Nekhebet the goddess of the South4: the reliefs
were enclosed by three bands of inscriptions dealing with the
erection of the temple. The east side-wall, though damaged
at the top, is standing to a height of 6.12 m. It consists of
26 limestone blocks, which attain a maximum length of 7 m. Its
upper part had originally an ornamental frieze, sparrow-hawks
sheltering the king's name with their wings, and below a series of
sacrificial scenes in which the ruler of the Oasis also took part.
Beneath these comes a lengthy ritual text in 51 columns. It
speaks of the princely builder of the temple as ' the chief of the
foreigners, Un-Amon, the blessed, the son of Nefret-ronpet.' Under
the ritual text are reliefs in three registers. The highest tier shows
a ram-headed Egyptian deity enthroned beneath a canopy. He
has the horns of both Khnemu and Amen5, the double plumes, the

1 G. Rohlfs id.2 ii. 105 f. R. Pietschmann in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. i. 1858
points out that Amnion is often figured in Egyptian art with four ram's heads.

2 Id. id.'2 ii. 107.

3 G. Steindorff Durch die Libysche Wiiste zur Amonsoase pp. 60, 62, 118, 119—121
with figs. 69, 70, 71, 72.

4 Cp. supra p. 206. 6 Supra p. 347. ■,