DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4032#0032
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THE FESTIYAL-HALL IN THE GEEAT TEMPLE OP BUBASTIS.
obelisk which is in On, in the holy house,
gives periods of thirty years in great number."
The next seems to have been also an obelisk;
the others are destroyed, but they were said
to promise to the king numerous periods of
thirty years, and eternity of years.
It is curious that the king should appear
before all these emblems of Heliopolis. It is
not probable that they were brought to
Bubastis. Perhaps this city had its own
collection of Heliopolitan emblems, which
being special to the city of Ra, kept their
predicate of Heliopolitan, even in other places.
Or this may indicate that a Sed festival was
necessarily accompanied by a ceremony at On,
which coincided with that of Bubastis or of
any city where the Sed took place.
All the emblems which we see gathered here
are connected with astronomy, or with the
measurement of time. I think we may consider
them as belonging to the religious observatory of
Heliopolis, as being the collection of emblems
which had reference to the religious calendar of
On, and of all the land. We spoke before of
Apuat being the god of the solstices. I can
give no explanation of the pole which is
between the eight rams. As for the bull, we
know that there was a sacred bull at Heliopolis,
called Mnevis, which was held in great
reverence, like the Apis at Memphis.9 The
bull was also the emblem of Nun, of water as
the great fertilizing and fructifying power,1
and as such it was connected with the inun-
dation, the beginning of which was one of the
important dates of the Egyptian calendar.
The heb of On differs from the On only in so far
as it has the bull's head at the top. We see a
bull bearing the sign yy in the sculptures
of the tomb of a king,2 where it seems to mean
the Great Bear. The On is one of the usual
9 Wilkinson, Manners, iii. p. 306.
1 Naville, Lit. du Soleil, p. 39; Brugsch, Myth. p. 116.
a Brugsch, Thes. p. 125.
emblems of the moon,3 and Brugsch's researches
have proved the existence of a lunar year, in
which the dates were given from the days of
the moon. The obelisks are connected with
the rays of the sun. E. do Rouge4 first
suggested that they might be used as colossal
dials. All these facts point towards astro-
nomy and the calendar. As these emblems
are the special property of Heliopolis, and
as this city is mentioned several times, it
shows that it was the place where the
questions as to the dates of the festivals were
decided. It was the great observatory of Egypt;
this reminds us of what Strabo says of the
observatories of Eudoxus, situate near the
entrance to the city. According to an inscrip-
tion in Turin, there was another observatory,
an On in the south, whose temple and priests
had the same names as at On of the north.
We know of a high priest at On in the south,
who was " Wierlieb knowing the ways of the
sky."5
It is natural that while making offerings
to the gods of astronomy and of the calendar,
Osorkon should be accompanied by prophets,
the first of whom holds the standard of Thoth,
the god of science and calculations. The
prophet did not come alone, in order to take
part in the ceremony ; the high priest of Thoth,
the Q the Jdierp nesti from Hermopolis,6 was
there also, and had accompanied his god. Ho
is clothed in a long dress like the neter of
Bubastis, and holds a cane with a knob
probably of some precious metal. Curiously
that title, Q hherp nesti, of the high priest
of Thoth belonged also to purely civil officers,
the governors of the nomes,7 meaning perhaps
that Thoth was their special patron. It must
3 Naville, Lit. du Soleil, p. 60.
* Mem. sur les Six Prem. Dyn. p. 79.
5 Recueil, vol. iii. p. 1-6.
6 Brugsch, Diet. Geog. p. 1361 ; Maspero, Et. Eg. ii.
p. 154.
7 Brugsch, Egyptol. p. 281.
THE FESTIYAL-HALL IN THE GEEAT TEMPLE OP BUBASTIS.
obelisk which is in On, in the holy house,
gives periods of thirty years in great number."
The next seems to have been also an obelisk;
the others are destroyed, but they were said
to promise to the king numerous periods of
thirty years, and eternity of years.
It is curious that the king should appear
before all these emblems of Heliopolis. It is
not probable that they were brought to
Bubastis. Perhaps this city had its own
collection of Heliopolitan emblems, which
being special to the city of Ra, kept their
predicate of Heliopolitan, even in other places.
Or this may indicate that a Sed festival was
necessarily accompanied by a ceremony at On,
which coincided with that of Bubastis or of
any city where the Sed took place.
All the emblems which we see gathered here
are connected with astronomy, or with the
measurement of time. I think we may consider
them as belonging to the religious observatory of
Heliopolis, as being the collection of emblems
which had reference to the religious calendar of
On, and of all the land. We spoke before of
Apuat being the god of the solstices. I can
give no explanation of the pole which is
between the eight rams. As for the bull, we
know that there was a sacred bull at Heliopolis,
called Mnevis, which was held in great
reverence, like the Apis at Memphis.9 The
bull was also the emblem of Nun, of water as
the great fertilizing and fructifying power,1
and as such it was connected with the inun-
dation, the beginning of which was one of the
important dates of the Egyptian calendar.
The heb of On differs from the On only in so far
as it has the bull's head at the top. We see a
bull bearing the sign yy in the sculptures
of the tomb of a king,2 where it seems to mean
the Great Bear. The On is one of the usual
9 Wilkinson, Manners, iii. p. 306.
1 Naville, Lit. du Soleil, p. 39; Brugsch, Myth. p. 116.
a Brugsch, Thes. p. 125.
emblems of the moon,3 and Brugsch's researches
have proved the existence of a lunar year, in
which the dates were given from the days of
the moon. The obelisks are connected with
the rays of the sun. E. do Rouge4 first
suggested that they might be used as colossal
dials. All these facts point towards astro-
nomy and the calendar. As these emblems
are the special property of Heliopolis, and
as this city is mentioned several times, it
shows that it was the place where the
questions as to the dates of the festivals were
decided. It was the great observatory of Egypt;
this reminds us of what Strabo says of the
observatories of Eudoxus, situate near the
entrance to the city. According to an inscrip-
tion in Turin, there was another observatory,
an On in the south, whose temple and priests
had the same names as at On of the north.
We know of a high priest at On in the south,
who was " Wierlieb knowing the ways of the
sky."5
It is natural that while making offerings
to the gods of astronomy and of the calendar,
Osorkon should be accompanied by prophets,
the first of whom holds the standard of Thoth,
the god of science and calculations. The
prophet did not come alone, in order to take
part in the ceremony ; the high priest of Thoth,
the Q the Jdierp nesti from Hermopolis,6 was
there also, and had accompanied his god. Ho
is clothed in a long dress like the neter of
Bubastis, and holds a cane with a knob
probably of some precious metal. Curiously
that title, Q hherp nesti, of the high priest
of Thoth belonged also to purely civil officers,
the governors of the nomes,7 meaning perhaps
that Thoth was their special patron. It must
3 Naville, Lit. du Soleil, p. 60.
* Mem. sur les Six Prem. Dyn. p. 79.
5 Recueil, vol. iii. p. 1-6.
6 Brugsch, Diet. Geog. p. 1361 ; Maspero, Et. Eg. ii.
p. 154.
7 Brugsch, Egyptol. p. 281.