DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4031#0037
21
THE NOME OF THOTH.
*
quotes an Ermopolis immediately following
Theomis,5 which is evidently Thmuis.
The Egyptian cities had each so many names
that there is nothing extraordinary in our find-
ing various localities with the same name when
it was translated into Greek or Latin. There are
several places calledlseum, Serapeum, Diospolis,
because they worshipped the same divinity.
The reverse may also occur in other instances,
considering that the Greeks followed no definite
principle in their rendering of Egyptian names.
For some reason unknown to us, and apparently
quite arbitrary, although two places had the
same god, they might be differently named by
the Greeks,—perhaps in order to avoid confu-
sion. I believe this to have been the case here.
Although the nome of Thoth is not given by
Ptolemy as Hermopolitan, it was known to
him and its position is indicated in his work. I
quite agree with M. J. de Rouge,6 that we must
recognize it as the nome called Neovr, Neout,7
whose capital was Panephysis, or Panithusos as
it is called in Hierocles.8
This nome of Neovr, Neout (N€CYT on the
coins), must, according to Ptolemy, have been
in the immediate vicinity of the nome of
Mendes.9 The origin of the name Neovr is not
known, but as for that of the capital, if we
adopt the reading of Hierocles, Panithusos, we
may find in it a corruption of the name of
Thoth, -ww^ ^gs Pa en Dhuti, the house of
Thoth. The Coptic has preserved the tradition
of the worship of Hermes in the name*
rilAJUSJtecjuoYT, the places of Thoth, which is
said to belong to the diocese of Thmuis.
Let us now turn to the hieroglyphic inscrip-
tions and see what information they afford as
5 Ed. Pinder et Parthey, p. 126, Nos. 11 & 12.
6 Geogr. de la Basse Egypte, p. 105.
7 NeoiiT vo/xos, /cat fJL'fjrpoiroXis ILavecpvcns (p. 124, ed. Bert.).
8 P. 727, ed. Wesseling.
9 D'Anville, I.e., p. 92.
1 Champollion, L'Egypte sous les Pharaons, ii. p. 120.
Zoega, Cat. man., p. 18.
to the nome of Thoth. The lists give us three
names which may refer either to the capital, or
to the more important cities of the province :
a J^ 8 o P& Dhuti an Behuh, the house
I kQf <=> A© A 1 '
of Thoth the judge of the Behuh; /% © the city
of Thoth; Ip* © with many graphic variants,
Bah, which we found at Baklieh. I believe
that we must add to these three a fourth,
zz Shmun, which has always been inter-
preted as referring to Hermopolis Magna, in
Upper Egypt, but which in my opinion must
also be applied to the Hermopolis near Mendes.
Certain monuments evidently coming from
Lower Egypt bear the name of Thoth of
Shmun, as for instance a cynocephalus in black
granite, about one foot high, which I saw in a
farm not far from Baklieh, and which was
doubtless dug out of one of the mounds of the
nome of Thoth. On its base are these words :
z^ z z © Praise given to Thoth
the lord of Shmun. It would be extraordinary
if this Shmun applied to the city of Hermopolis
Magna, so far away from the spot. Besides,
we see that Thoth --::© who resides at
Shmun, occurs among the gods of Lower
Egypt2 who assembled at the great festival
celebrated by Osorkon II. at Bubastis. Hence
it seems to me probable that the capital of the
nome of Thoth in Lower Egypt was also called
Shmun z Z , like Hermopolis Magna, the
____©
capital of the XVth nome of Upper Egypt.
I consider that another name of the capital of
the nome of Neovr is . j^ © the city of Thoth,
and
zz
V
v?F
| Pa Dhuti Ap rehuh. Ap
rehuh, the judge or the guide of the Behuh, is
also one of the usual titles of the Egyptian
Hermes. We find him called by that name in
the sculptures of the hall of Nectanebo I. at
Bubastis, where are represented many divinities
2 The Festival Hall, pi. viii., p. 21.
jsig
iito'
THE NOME OF THOTH.
*
quotes an Ermopolis immediately following
Theomis,5 which is evidently Thmuis.
The Egyptian cities had each so many names
that there is nothing extraordinary in our find-
ing various localities with the same name when
it was translated into Greek or Latin. There are
several places calledlseum, Serapeum, Diospolis,
because they worshipped the same divinity.
The reverse may also occur in other instances,
considering that the Greeks followed no definite
principle in their rendering of Egyptian names.
For some reason unknown to us, and apparently
quite arbitrary, although two places had the
same god, they might be differently named by
the Greeks,—perhaps in order to avoid confu-
sion. I believe this to have been the case here.
Although the nome of Thoth is not given by
Ptolemy as Hermopolitan, it was known to
him and its position is indicated in his work. I
quite agree with M. J. de Rouge,6 that we must
recognize it as the nome called Neovr, Neout,7
whose capital was Panephysis, or Panithusos as
it is called in Hierocles.8
This nome of Neovr, Neout (N€CYT on the
coins), must, according to Ptolemy, have been
in the immediate vicinity of the nome of
Mendes.9 The origin of the name Neovr is not
known, but as for that of the capital, if we
adopt the reading of Hierocles, Panithusos, we
may find in it a corruption of the name of
Thoth, -ww^ ^gs Pa en Dhuti, the house of
Thoth. The Coptic has preserved the tradition
of the worship of Hermes in the name*
rilAJUSJtecjuoYT, the places of Thoth, which is
said to belong to the diocese of Thmuis.
Let us now turn to the hieroglyphic inscrip-
tions and see what information they afford as
5 Ed. Pinder et Parthey, p. 126, Nos. 11 & 12.
6 Geogr. de la Basse Egypte, p. 105.
7 NeoiiT vo/xos, /cat fJL'fjrpoiroXis ILavecpvcns (p. 124, ed. Bert.).
8 P. 727, ed. Wesseling.
9 D'Anville, I.e., p. 92.
1 Champollion, L'Egypte sous les Pharaons, ii. p. 120.
Zoega, Cat. man., p. 18.
to the nome of Thoth. The lists give us three
names which may refer either to the capital, or
to the more important cities of the province :
a J^ 8 o P& Dhuti an Behuh, the house
I kQf <=> A© A 1 '
of Thoth the judge of the Behuh; /% © the city
of Thoth; Ip* © with many graphic variants,
Bah, which we found at Baklieh. I believe
that we must add to these three a fourth,
zz Shmun, which has always been inter-
preted as referring to Hermopolis Magna, in
Upper Egypt, but which in my opinion must
also be applied to the Hermopolis near Mendes.
Certain monuments evidently coming from
Lower Egypt bear the name of Thoth of
Shmun, as for instance a cynocephalus in black
granite, about one foot high, which I saw in a
farm not far from Baklieh, and which was
doubtless dug out of one of the mounds of the
nome of Thoth. On its base are these words :
z^ z z © Praise given to Thoth
the lord of Shmun. It would be extraordinary
if this Shmun applied to the city of Hermopolis
Magna, so far away from the spot. Besides,
we see that Thoth --::© who resides at
Shmun, occurs among the gods of Lower
Egypt2 who assembled at the great festival
celebrated by Osorkon II. at Bubastis. Hence
it seems to me probable that the capital of the
nome of Thoth in Lower Egypt was also called
Shmun z Z , like Hermopolis Magna, the
____©
capital of the XVth nome of Upper Egypt.
I consider that another name of the capital of
the nome of Neovr is . j^ © the city of Thoth,
and
zz
V
v?F
| Pa Dhuti Ap rehuh. Ap
rehuh, the judge or the guide of the Behuh, is
also one of the usual titles of the Egyptian
Hermes. We find him called by that name in
the sculptures of the hall of Nectanebo I. at
Bubastis, where are represented many divinities
2 The Festival Hall, pi. viii., p. 21.
jsig
iito'