Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

346 The holed vessel in Egypt

on the imperial coinage of Alexandreia (figs. 220—232). R. S. Poole1
said of them:

'The Canopi represent Osiris and Isis, Osiris being probably Sarapis. The
Canopus of Osiris is of two forms, (1) draped and wearing the atef-crown, which
consisted of the crown of Upper Egypt, between two plumes, above the rams
horns [fig. 2202J; and (2) adorned with figures and wearing the crown with disk
and plumes above the ram's horns with uraei [figs. 2213, 222, 224* 223s]. The
Canopus of Isis. is draped, with a uraeus in front of the body of the vase, and
wears the headdress of cow's horns and lunar disk [fig. 225 °]. These type5
cannot as yet be further discriminated. The two headdresses of Osiris are
indiscriminately used by the ancient Egyptians, and therefore we cannot assign
them to particular forms. No doubt in Alexandrian usage they designated such
forms, or they would not occur together in one coin-type [figs. 226', 227s, 228,
229°, 23010, 232n].'

These joint representations show the two 'Canopi' of Osiris set
on a couple of cushions and facing us upon a garlanded base

The 'Canopic' shape might be given to a variety of gods and goddesses. J. G. Mi'ne

in the Joitrn. Hell. Stud, 1901 xxi. 286—-290 published a limestone stile in the Gln2^

Museum (no. 9267), which on each of its four faces had a sunk panel with reliefs, flanke

by a verse quotation, below the panel a row of ' Canopic' figures, and lower again a metric8

inscription: (a) A helmeted bust with a circular shield and crossed spears beneath l>

flanked by //. 5. 31, then from right to left 'Canopi' of Osiris, Horus, Isis, Nephthys(?)'

and the lines eip.1 fiii> ef iepijs crTpanrjs StrXoiam dpwybs | Kaltrapos kv woXe/xoit vS' 'Ape°s

depdirwv I ToXKa 8' ev ei<Tej3htr{<r)i BeCiv Ipyois p.efi6yrjK[a] | trw/mri Kat 86/j.ip, yvpa°ls 0 ,

dXeywv ■ \ oweK eTraiv[r)]<ravTes iir' evraKTOio [/jfoio] | [co5]v re <rao<ppo<r6vrj[v T affT0

eireKX(Xaa.v~\. (b) A helmeted bust with a sea-horse beneath it, flanked by Od. 9. 528'

'Canopi' of Thoth, Anion, Mut, and in lieu of an epigram 77. 187—191- W

helmeted bust with an eagle on a thunderbolt beneath it, flanked by //. 2. 41"2'

• • i7- « aiya*

'Canopi' of some missing deity, Shu, Tefnut, Hathor, and the lines eh KatcoPi r 1

airoKparuip, eh Kolpavoi taru, \ eh pairikeils, $ IdoiKe Kp6vov irais dYKiAo/ii)"?' (stc ' ,

adaptation of//. 1. 2o4f. On such formulae see E. Petersen EIZ OEOS Gottingen 19^

passim)- j TiTjva. /neyav KpovLdr}!/ v\pL£vyov dpyiK^pavpov], j [. . .] ap.a irpo4>pov\_.........J

iw[........] ] [- -]aive<pil[.............]ya{..........] (e.g. t<J 8' dp.a -n-pocppo"^

f3a.p6KTvirov 'Evvocrlyaiov \ aiv re KeXaii>e<p(4)a irpoairfnjv 'A'tSijv dddfiaarop). (d) A W ^ .,

JIai'»s

bust (?) with a doubtful creature beneath it, flanked by lettering now lost, then

of Ra, Atum, Nut, and the lines 'A/ypios iandet kclt Utos Sis Sij/j-op Hirnvra , ^
6peacTiv6ixoio kolt ei\air[l]pas <I>oi/3oio, | tivdpe Sii' dpxovras naXiup Kara ?0cos iKa&rof^ i^j,
r QBpovs tepr/as xoQv re avvip[yovs] \ eh ckctov 8h irap[Tos 6fiui]s\vKaj3avT0S E-^gjjh

The stele dates from the end of s. i is.c. and comes from Alexandreia. F. LI-

an

d

suggests ' that the underlying idea is probably astrological: thus, the opposite sides
(2) are headed by Ra and Thoth for Sun and Moon: (1) has Osiris, possibly for *e P ' ^0
Jupiter, and the lost figure in the front of (3) may have been Geb, the planet SatU\"j;0li.'
each of these leaders were then added his usual associates in Egyptian religious tr

1 Brit. Mus. Cat. Coins Alexandria p. lxvii f.

2 lb. p. 75 no. 625 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 220, from a cast) Hadrian.

3 lb. p. 32 no. 268 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 221, from a cast) Vespasian

4 lb. p. 91 no. 775 pi. 18 (=my fig. 222, from a cast) Hadrian. Fig- 22+
specimen in my collection, likewise struck by Hadrian.

5 lb. p. 2S9 no. 2214 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 223, from a cast) Gallienus.

6 Jb. p. 75 no. 633 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 225, from a cast) Hadrian.

7 lb. p. 54 no. 452 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 226, from a cast) Trajan.

8 lb. p. 75 no. 632 pi. 18 ( = my fig. 227, from a cast) Hadrian.

is