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)

348 The holed vessel in Egypt

(fig. 226), or more often confronting each other(figs. 227—231), some-
times with a flaming thymiaterion between them (fig. 230) or housed
in a common shrine with papyrus-headed columns (fig. 2311), or
finallyupborne side by side on the spread wings of an eagle(fig. 232)2-
The numismatic 'Canopi' of Osiris resemble the legendary effigy of
Kanopos more closely than do the ordinary 'Canopic' jars, and
that in two respects. For one thing, there can be no doubt that
the Osirian ' Canopi' were definitely worshipped as deities. For

Fig. 232.

another, they were not only surmounted by a human head, but also
decorated with various figures. It is even possible that the series
of dots seen on the Osiris-'Canopi' (figs. 224, 228, etc.) were holes
stuffed with wax like those of Kanopos himself.

A further possibility is deserving of mention. Since Nile-water
was in effect the equivalent of snow and rain, the Nile was popularly
regarded as in some sort a copy of the sky3. Parmenon of Byzantiofl
(s. iii B.C.) ventured to equate the river-god with the sky-god, whe°
he penned a choliambic address to—

'Nile, Zeus of the Egyptians.'

1 lb. p. 102 no. 877 pi. 28 (=my fig. 231) Hadrian. Cp. Hunter Cat. Coins iu. 453
no. 365 Hadrian, 481 no. 544 L. Verus. femaIe

2 An engraved cornelian at Florence shows the Canopus of Isis carried by a
griffin, which rests its right paw on a four-spoked wheel (A. F. Gori Museum Flo'en
Florentiae 1731 i pi. 58, 9, Reinach Pierres Gravies p. 33 no. 58, 9 pi. 29)-

3 Heliod. 9. 9 (cited supra p. 344 n. 1). , .q,

4 Athen. 203 C ,u6cos yap tus dAijflws 6 xPmoPpf>ai noiKoibficvos ISTeiXos P-era Ja„geiv
a<pdbvo>v Kal xpvabv 6,Kl§5ri\ov KaTacptpet, aKivSiivus yewpyoip-evov, us TracM1 •> ^
avBpdnrois, $Ur)v VpnTToKifiov (supra i. 222 f., 227) irenirbp.evov eh iratxav yv"- sC\\o\-
Kal 6 BvfdvTios iroii]T7)s Tlapp-tvuv eirtKaXotipieiios "Alyvwrie Zev," <t>t)<jlt "NetXe. "' ^ylllv'
vet. Pind. Pyth. 4. 99 rip.evoi KpovlSa- tov NeiXov KpovlSav [(p-ifo-lv], ws , ^giref
"klyiime Zed NeiXe." avaXoyeXv yap toU tov Aids 8/ifjpois t6 tov ]Sel\ou SSupi k
avTiaTpotpbv Tiva tovtov rcj? Ail ehai. the

A coin of Alexandreia already figured (supra i. 361 fig. 277) equips Zeus
cornu copiae of Neilos.