DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18130#0050
36
EHNASYA.
CHAPTER X.
THE SITE OF BUTO.
By W. M. F. Petrie and C. T. Citerelly.
57. When studying the geography of Ptolemy,
I noticed that the position of Buto was due
north of Kabasa ; and as the latter was almost
certainly the modern Shabas, and a canal ran
due north from that, the site of Buto was pro-
bably down that canal. When I visited the
place in 1886 I found a large town and temple-
site in the required position, with a village close
by it named Ibtu. The connection of this name
with that of Buto is said to have been suggested
by Rociiemonteix ; but it is not in his collected
works, nor was I aware of it when tracking it
out by Ptolemy's position, and publishing it in
Naukratis ii. The identification is accepted by
Mr. Hogarth in his recent discussion of the
district (Journ. Hell. St. xxiv).
After eighteen years an opportunity occurred
of examining this site, and Mr. Currelly went
there in February 1904, to make some trial pits.
The general results of this examination are
incorporated in the following description of the
site.
The sketch-map (pi. xliv), is based on the
official survey of the surrounding field divisions ;
the land surveyor not having any business with
antiquities, but only with taxed property, has
not placed any suggestion of the real shape of
the mounds on the official survey. As I was
expecting to continue work there in future, I had
not brought surveying instruments on my visit,
and hence the sketch here given was only made
by pacing and reference to the surrounding
fields.
The first main feature is the division of the
Roman town (pi. xliii, 5, 6) in two halves, sepa-
rated by the approach to the temple. This
suggests a connection with the dual towns Pe
and Dep, in early times ; but as the whole of
the remains now above water-level are probably
not before the Ptolemies, the present configura-
tion need not have any relation to the ancient
positions of the towns. It is singular that there
is another great dual city, Thmuis-Mendes, in
the east of the Delta. There may be some
common cause for such duality, probably in
separate towns of earlier people and conquerors.
Between the two great mounds the ground
rises but slightly, and has been much dug away
for sebal'lb; the large mounds have been simi-
larly dug, so that the house walls stand high
and bare over most of the mounds. At the
north-west of the mounds is a lower rise, which
is the Roman cemetery. This ground is full of
pottery coffins, as described below. Outside of
this is a ridge, with some large red brick houses
of Roman age. In this cemetery ground a deep
pit, sunk about 30 feet to water level, showed
brick Avails at intervals to the bottom. At the
top the pottery was of the IVth century a.d.,
and at the bottom was a Greek vase of the
Ilnd century b.c. Hence the town had been
great and flourishing in the Ptolemaic and
Roman time, as 30 feet of ruins had accumu-
lated in five or six centuries. But its earlier
history is now hidden beneath the water-level.
58. The temple is bounded by a great teme-
nos wall, about 70 feet (40 cubits) thick (xliii,
3, 4). This is thickened by masses built into
EHNASYA.
CHAPTER X.
THE SITE OF BUTO.
By W. M. F. Petrie and C. T. Citerelly.
57. When studying the geography of Ptolemy,
I noticed that the position of Buto was due
north of Kabasa ; and as the latter was almost
certainly the modern Shabas, and a canal ran
due north from that, the site of Buto was pro-
bably down that canal. When I visited the
place in 1886 I found a large town and temple-
site in the required position, with a village close
by it named Ibtu. The connection of this name
with that of Buto is said to have been suggested
by Rociiemonteix ; but it is not in his collected
works, nor was I aware of it when tracking it
out by Ptolemy's position, and publishing it in
Naukratis ii. The identification is accepted by
Mr. Hogarth in his recent discussion of the
district (Journ. Hell. St. xxiv).
After eighteen years an opportunity occurred
of examining this site, and Mr. Currelly went
there in February 1904, to make some trial pits.
The general results of this examination are
incorporated in the following description of the
site.
The sketch-map (pi. xliv), is based on the
official survey of the surrounding field divisions ;
the land surveyor not having any business with
antiquities, but only with taxed property, has
not placed any suggestion of the real shape of
the mounds on the official survey. As I was
expecting to continue work there in future, I had
not brought surveying instruments on my visit,
and hence the sketch here given was only made
by pacing and reference to the surrounding
fields.
The first main feature is the division of the
Roman town (pi. xliii, 5, 6) in two halves, sepa-
rated by the approach to the temple. This
suggests a connection with the dual towns Pe
and Dep, in early times ; but as the whole of
the remains now above water-level are probably
not before the Ptolemies, the present configura-
tion need not have any relation to the ancient
positions of the towns. It is singular that there
is another great dual city, Thmuis-Mendes, in
the east of the Delta. There may be some
common cause for such duality, probably in
separate towns of earlier people and conquerors.
Between the two great mounds the ground
rises but slightly, and has been much dug away
for sebal'lb; the large mounds have been simi-
larly dug, so that the house walls stand high
and bare over most of the mounds. At the
north-west of the mounds is a lower rise, which
is the Roman cemetery. This ground is full of
pottery coffins, as described below. Outside of
this is a ridge, with some large red brick houses
of Roman age. In this cemetery ground a deep
pit, sunk about 30 feet to water level, showed
brick Avails at intervals to the bottom. At the
top the pottery was of the IVth century a.d.,
and at the bottom was a Greek vase of the
Ilnd century b.c. Hence the town had been
great and flourishing in the Ptolemaic and
Roman time, as 30 feet of ruins had accumu-
lated in five or six centuries. But its earlier
history is now hidden beneath the water-level.
58. The temple is bounded by a great teme-
nos wall, about 70 feet (40 cubits) thick (xliii,
3, 4). This is thickened by masses built into