DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6641#0040
20
samanood.
first thought it might be a mistake of the en-
graver ; but lately I discovered at Bubastis a frag-
ment of a statue on which the name was written
thus
the god Anhur at the top of the
cartouche being broken off. I believe therefore
the cartouche of Samanood to be correct; and I
should think that it was the original name of the
king, who changed the word neb for Heb, when
he had built the important sanctuary, consider-
able ruins of which are still visible.
About six miles below Samanood are remains
hardly inferior to those of San. The immense
number of granite blocks, heaped up to a height of
twelve or fifteen feet, and the very fine and
elaborate sculptures with which they are covered
bear witness to the importance of the temple,
which is so much destroyed that even its
plan cannot be reconstructed. According to
Wilkinson, its original length was from 400 to
600 feet. It was dedicated to Isis, the divine
mother; hence the name of Iseum, under which
it appears in the works of the ancient geo-
graphers. The Egyptians called it QH ^, Heb,
or Hebi, whence the Arabs made Behbeit with the
affix of el hagar, "of the stones," because of its great
ruins. The sanctuary was called ^^^j
lofty house. It is curious that this very important
temple, which considerably exceeded Samanood in
importance, is not mentioned in the lists of nomes,
although it belonged to the nome of Sebennytos.
Nekhthorheb considered the construction of Hebi as
one of the greatest deeds of his reign, as he inserted
the name of the place in his own cartouche. It
certainly existed before his time, as in front of the
sheikh's house I found part of the shaft of a column
about two and a half feet in diameter, with the
name of Barneses II.; besides, Heb is mentioned in
the inscription of Piankhi. There are fragments of
a beautiful shrine of Nekhthorheb, while nearly
all the innumerable granite blocks which are there
are inscribed with the name of Ptolemy Phila-
delphos. It is doubtful whether this style of
granite building can be attributed to a Ptolemy.
I am of opinion that the sculptures only are
Ptolemaic, while the temple itself was a work of
Nekhthorheb, who for some reason or other did
not have its walls sculptured. I have reproduced
(plate VI.) a fragment of the shrine where Isis is
mentioned as a cat goddess with the name °e=>^
Meht. She occurs also with the same name at
Thinis, the other sanctuary of Anhur.1 More
frequently she is called °<=^ ^ Dn , Mehent, which
I found at Bubastis, or ^ ' f^, which occurs
at Denderah as the form of Hathor in the
Sebennyte nome.2
To return to Samanood. Besides Nekhthorheb,
a king who is frequently met with is (plate VI.)
Alexander II., the posthumous son of the great
conqueror, and of his Persian wife Boxane; the
unfortunate prince who, shortly after he had been
recognized king by the rival generals who quar-
relled over the inheritance of their deceased
lord, was treacherously murdered, with his
mother, by Cassandros, in whose keeping he
had been for several years. The six or seven
years of the reign of this boy-king have left many
1 Mariette, " Abydos," ii. pi. 39 et 58.
1
a i
Thou art Tefnut, the daughter of Ra, loving him, who sees
Mehent crowning his head. "Duem. Geogr. Inschr.," iv.
pi. 118.
samanood.
first thought it might be a mistake of the en-
graver ; but lately I discovered at Bubastis a frag-
ment of a statue on which the name was written
thus
the god Anhur at the top of the
cartouche being broken off. I believe therefore
the cartouche of Samanood to be correct; and I
should think that it was the original name of the
king, who changed the word neb for Heb, when
he had built the important sanctuary, consider-
able ruins of which are still visible.
About six miles below Samanood are remains
hardly inferior to those of San. The immense
number of granite blocks, heaped up to a height of
twelve or fifteen feet, and the very fine and
elaborate sculptures with which they are covered
bear witness to the importance of the temple,
which is so much destroyed that even its
plan cannot be reconstructed. According to
Wilkinson, its original length was from 400 to
600 feet. It was dedicated to Isis, the divine
mother; hence the name of Iseum, under which
it appears in the works of the ancient geo-
graphers. The Egyptians called it QH ^, Heb,
or Hebi, whence the Arabs made Behbeit with the
affix of el hagar, "of the stones," because of its great
ruins. The sanctuary was called ^^^j
lofty house. It is curious that this very important
temple, which considerably exceeded Samanood in
importance, is not mentioned in the lists of nomes,
although it belonged to the nome of Sebennytos.
Nekhthorheb considered the construction of Hebi as
one of the greatest deeds of his reign, as he inserted
the name of the place in his own cartouche. It
certainly existed before his time, as in front of the
sheikh's house I found part of the shaft of a column
about two and a half feet in diameter, with the
name of Barneses II.; besides, Heb is mentioned in
the inscription of Piankhi. There are fragments of
a beautiful shrine of Nekhthorheb, while nearly
all the innumerable granite blocks which are there
are inscribed with the name of Ptolemy Phila-
delphos. It is doubtful whether this style of
granite building can be attributed to a Ptolemy.
I am of opinion that the sculptures only are
Ptolemaic, while the temple itself was a work of
Nekhthorheb, who for some reason or other did
not have its walls sculptured. I have reproduced
(plate VI.) a fragment of the shrine where Isis is
mentioned as a cat goddess with the name °e=>^
Meht. She occurs also with the same name at
Thinis, the other sanctuary of Anhur.1 More
frequently she is called °<=^ ^ Dn , Mehent, which
I found at Bubastis, or ^ ' f^, which occurs
at Denderah as the form of Hathor in the
Sebennyte nome.2
To return to Samanood. Besides Nekhthorheb,
a king who is frequently met with is (plate VI.)
Alexander II., the posthumous son of the great
conqueror, and of his Persian wife Boxane; the
unfortunate prince who, shortly after he had been
recognized king by the rival generals who quar-
relled over the inheritance of their deceased
lord, was treacherously murdered, with his
mother, by Cassandros, in whose keeping he
had been for several years. The six or seven
years of the reign of this boy-king have left many
1 Mariette, " Abydos," ii. pi. 39 et 58.
1
a i
Thou art Tefnut, the daughter of Ra, loving him, who sees
Mehent crowning his head. "Duem. Geogr. Inschr.," iv.
pi. 118.