Alexandrian Obelisk.The former name of the obelisk at present in London. It was theprostrateone at Alexandria, which had been presented to the English as early as 1820, but was removed in 1877, arriving in London on January 20, 1878. The money for its removal, amounting to £10 000, was furnished by Prof. Erasmus Wilson, of London.8104181
Alnwick Castle Obelisk.Perhaps the same as the Sion House Obelisk. It was erected by Amenophis II., and only one face bears an inscription. It was brought to England in 1840.—Alnwick Castle is situated to the north-west of the town of Alnwick in Northumberland, England.10
Ȧmen.In EgyptianȦmen, "the hidden god". The Latinized form is Ammon. He was the tutelary god of Thebes, and was addressed as "the king of the gods". As such the Romans identified him with their Jupiter. He was worshiped only in Upper Egypt, and is represented on the monuments with a head-dress of two plumes or feathers, calledshenti; thus. Although at first the invisible or hidden deity, he was afterwards merged into Amen-Râ (which see).35638788
Ȧmenemḥât III.A powerful king of theXIIth dynasty. To guard against a time of drought and excessive inundation, he converted the Fayoom into a vast reservoir of fresh water, which was known to the ancients as Lake Mœris. Besides this he built two pyramids and a palace, the so-called Labyrinth, near this lake. His name in Egyptian is90
Ȧmen-mer-Râ-meses-su.The family name of Ramses II.762636465666768697071
Ȧmen-mer-Ûsarken.The family name of Osarkon I.3872
Ȧmenôphis II.A king of theXVIIIth dynasty, the son and successor of Thothmes III. He reigned for about seven years, at one time besieged Nineveh, made an expedition into Mesopotamia, and conquered the desert-tribes of Asia. His tomb is at Abd-el-Qurnah in Thebes. In Egyptian his name reads610
Ȧmenôphis III.The successor of Thothmes IV, a king of theXVIIIth dynasty, a great warrior, a bold lion-hunter, and the builder of the two large figures (colossi) of himself in the desert to the west of Thebes, one of which was called by the Greeks the Vocal Memnon. His name in Egyptian is written1688
Ȧmenôphis IV.A king of thexviiith dynasty, the son and successor of Amenophis III. The worship of the Sun under the form ofȦtenorȦten-Râwas forcibly introduced by him. His temple at Tel-el-Amarna was torn down by his successors, who considered him a heretic. His name in Egyptian is2930
This he changed, after introducing the Aten-worship, to
Ȧmen-Râ.In EgyptianȦmen-Râ, "the hidden Sun". The supreme deity of the Egyptians and really identical with the sun-god Râ. Before the time of theXVIIIth dynasty he was worshiped asȦmensimply, and especially at Thebes. Some of the grandest hymns in the Egyptian literature are addressed to this god. In painted inscriptions his body is generally colored light-blue. Cf. above under Amen.293788
Ȧmenti.In EgyptianȦmenti, "the concealed land", and undoubtedly related toȦmenti, "the West", as the Egyptians thought that the Lower World lay toward the west where the sun set. It is the region below the earth or Hades, where the departed spirits assembled, and was said to be the dominion of the god Osiris. It was divided into "the field of the blessed", calledȦanuruorȦaḥlu(the Greek Elysium), "the place of rest", calledKher-nuter, and "the place of the condemned", calledRuseti. In "the hall of the two Truths" the deceased was brought before Osiris, his heart weighed, and judgment pronounced on him. Besides the various gods, such as Osiris, Horus, Thoth, and Anubis, we also find here the four genii of Hades,Ȧmseth(with the head of a man),Ḥepi(with the head of a monkey),Dûamutf(with the head of a jackal),Qebeḥsenef(with the head of a hawk). To these were attached "the forty-two assessors", generally represented with the heads of various animals, who typified the negation of the forty-twosins [cf. Negative Confession] of the Egyptian moral code. The book which treats in full of everything pertaining to the Egyptian Hades is the so-called Book of the Dead or the Ritual, which has been found in innumerable copies in the tombs and with the mummies.2830
Amyrtaeus Obelisks.Two small obelisks of a king of theXXVIIIth dynasty, who revolted against Artaxerxes I., the king of Persia, but was conquered and driven into the Delta. His two obelisks, which are made of dark green basalt, are at present in the British Museum. His name in Egyptian is10
Ȧn.The Egyptian name of Heliopolis.51525356586991
Androsphinx.A Greek word (Ἀνδρόσφιγξ), which means "man-sphinx". This is the figure of a lion with the head of a man, and typifies the Pharaoh as the incarnation of divine wisdom. The Egyptian figure of the androsphinx is.46
Animals, sacred.Zoölotria or animal-worship was carried on extensively in Egypt from the earliest times down to the Christian era. The Apis-bull was sacred to Ptah, the Mnevis-bull to Osiris, the cat to Bast, the cobra or Uræus-snake to all deities, the cow to Hathor, the crocodile to Sebek, the cynocephalus-monkey and the ibis to Thoth, the eel to Tum, the latus-fish to Isis, the frog to Heqet, the hippopotamus to Taûrt, the jackal to Anubis, the lapwing to Osiris, the lion to Sekhet, the ram to Ptah and Khnum, the scarabæus-beetle to Kheper-Râ, the scorpion to Selq, the sparrow-hawk to Horus, the shrew-mouse to Buto, and the vulture toMut. The worship of these animals was in some instances, however, confined to a province or city, for while an animal would be worshiped in one district, it would be hunted down and killed in another. Some of these sacred animals were also embalmed as mummies, especially the Apis-bull, the ibis, and the cat.
Ânkh.The Egyptian word for "life", written. This refers to terrestrial as well as celestial life and carries with it our notion of "eternal life". The sign resembles the St. Anthony's cross, and is called thecrux ansata"the cross with a handle"). It occurs in almost every Egyptian inscription and is represented as the most precious gift of the gods to man.2946
Ȧn-menth.The Egyptian name of Hermonthis.87
Ȧn·t.The Egyptian name of Denderah.88
Ȧntef the Great.A king of theXIth dynasty of whom we know almost nothing. He erected a few small obelisks and was buried at El-Assasîf in Thebes. He was a great hunter and delighted in dogs. His name in Egyptian, according to Lepsius, is911
Anubis.In EgyptianȦnpu. He was one of the chief gods in the Lower World and was represented as a jackal-headed man. He was the deity of the embalmers and the guardian of the mummies of the dead and their tomb, whence his picture. The Book of the Dead in the chapter on the "last judgment" portrays him in the act of weighing a person's heart on a scale with reference to Truth (mâ). If it was foundwanting, the person was condemned to return to the earth as an unclean beast; if found truthful, he enters into "the fields of the blessed". The sacred animal of Anubis was the jackal.89
Apis.In EgyptianḤep.This bull was the sacred animal of Ptah [others say Osiris], and was worshiped in Memphis. Its color was black, but on the forehead was a white spot, on its back a mark like a sickle, and under its tongue a lump of flesh similar to the sacred beetle () or scarab. It was worshiped for twenty-five years, when it was drowned and another Apis sought. When found, it was escorted to the temple by the priests and the rejoicing multitudes. The Apeium was the name of the temple in which it was worshiped, and the Serapeum that of the building where its sarcophagi were stored.
Ȧpiu·t.The Egyptian designation of the eastern part of Thebes or "the throne" of Amen-Râ. It was the city proper, while the western part was given up totally to the dead. Out of this word, with the prefixed feminine articleta[ta Ȧpiu·t], the Greeks formed the word Thebes.88
Arabia.This country was well known to the ancient Egyptians, especially the southern part, which they calledPun·t. In the inscriptions of queen Mâkarâ, published by Dümichen, we find the country and its precious product of spices mentioned. An active trade was carried on between it and Egypt from the earliest times.88
Arles Obelisk.This obelisk at Arles, a city in southern France, is uninscribed. Zoëga conjectures that it was brought to Arles by order of Constantine the Great in A. D. 315. It is very doubtful, whether this obelisk isof Egyptian workmanship at all, as the rock resembles that of the quarries near by. It is now in front of the City Hall at Arles, and only contains inscriptions in honor of Louis XIV. and Napoleon III.1022
Asia.This has no Egyptian name. The Asiatic tribes, however, gave no end of trouble to the Egyptian kings, and a continual warfare was kept up against them. Prominent among them were the Kharu, the Rotennu, the Zahi, and the Kheta or Hittites. The Hyksos were perhaps also Asiatics.86
Assuân.The modern name of the ancient Syene, near the southern boundary of Egypt, and situated on the First Cataract. Most of the Egyptian granite was taken from its famous quarries. Its Egyptian name isSun·twhich may be rendered "the city whichgives entranceinto Egypt".1113232486
Assuân Obelisk.The monster-obelisk still in the quarry of Syene and not yet detached from its native rock. It would have been the largest obelisk in existence. Three of its sides are finished, but have no inscriptions.11
ȦtenorȦten-Râ.In EgyptianȦten, "the sun's disk". This deity was represented as the sun stretching out many hands which carried the symbol of life,ânkh. At one time, under Amenhotep IV. and his queen Thiî, it became for a short time the supreme deity of Egypt, but after that was worshiped as only a form of Râ, and sank back to a secondary place.626389
Atmeidan Obelisk.It was erected by Thothmes III., perhaps in Heliopolis. A single column of hieroglyphs extends down each face, and the lower end is broken off. Constantine the Great [A. D. 306-337] seems to have had it removed to Alexandria, where it remained until its transportation to Constantinople in the reign ofTheodosius the Great [A. D. 379-395]. It is now in the Atmeidan or Hippodrome in Constantinople.9
Ȧtum.In EgyptianȦtum(the last sign being here only a determinative). Another form of Tum.2951
Augustus Caesar.The first Roman emperor whose full name was Caius Julius Cæsar Octavianus. He reigned from B. C. 30 to A. D. 14, and, besides his many grand achievements, ordered the two obelisks in Heliopolis (at present in London and New York) to be erected in Alexandria. His name in Egyptian is825323972737482
Autocrator.The GreekἈυτοκράτωρ"absolute ruler". This was a title of the Roman emperors and is our "autocrat". The Egyptians placed the word in either of the two cartouches of the emperors, and wrote it in many different ways; for instance,(Augustus, Tiberius, and Claudius),(Caligula),(Nero),(Trajan),(Caracalla), &c.39
Avaris.A city on the Bubastic branch of the Nile in the Delta, near the ancient Pelusium. Its Egyptian name wasḤa·t-ûar·t. It was the last fortified stronghold of the Hyksos which was besieged and taken by Aahmes I., a king of theXVIIth dynasty.92
Banner-shield.The oblong that contains the one established royal title and which, in all inscriptions of importance, must precede the cartouches,. It occurs twelve times on our obelisk.565758596062636566676870
Barbarus.A prefect or governor of Egypt. According to Prof. Merriam his full name is Publius Rubrius Barbarus. History is silent about him.39737482
Barberini Obelisk.Other designations for it are: Monte Pincio Obelisk, Veranian Obelisk, and the Obelisk della Passeggiata. It was cut in Egypt by order of Hadrian [A. D. 118-138] and erected in honor of Antinoüs, who drowned himself in the Nile in order to avert the fulfillment of an evil oracle from the emperor. Pope Urban VIII. (Barberini) found it broken in three pieces, and it was placed in its present position on the Monte Pincio in Rome by Pius VII. in 1822. It has two columns of hieroglyphs on each face.9
Bast.The Egyptian lion-headed goddess of love, also called Pasht or Sekhet (which see).92
B. C.An abbreviation for "Before (the birth of) Christ".
Bejij.Also called Ebjij. A city in the western half of theXXIst nome of Upper Egypt, whose Egyptian name wasḤa-Sebek, "the home of the god Sebek", the Crocodilopolis of the Greeks and Romans.511
Bejij Obelisk.A prostrate and broken obelisk of Usertesen I. at Bejij in the Fayoom. It resembles more a stelé than an obelisk, as it has two large and two small faces and a rounded top, which is the usual form of a stelé.11
Belzoni,Giovanni Battista. One of the most successful Egyptian explorers [died Dec. 3, 1823]. He was the first to penetrate the second large pyramid of Gizeh.13
Benevento.A city of Italy, north-east of Naples. Its Egyptian spelling on the obelisks erected by the emperor Domitian isBenemthesti.810
Benevento Obelisks.Two obelisks bearing the cartouche of the emperor Domitian [A. D. 81-96]. One ofthem, having only a single column of hieroglyphs on each face, is erected in a public square, while the other is imbedded in the wall of a house in Benevento. The names of Domitian, Titus, and Lucilius Lupus appear in the inscriptions.10
Beni-Hassan.The present name of the place where the sepulchral grottoes of theXIIth dynasty were situated. These rock-tombs were in theXVIth nome of Upper Egypt, the most famous one of them being that ofKhnum-ḥotep.89
Bersheh.The modern name of a place in theXVth nome of Upper Egypt, the site of many rock-tombs.1589
Boboli Gardens Obelisk.A small obelisk at present in the Boboli Gardens at Florence, Italy. It was probably erected in Heliopolis by Ramses II. and removed to Rome by the emperor Claudius [A. D. 41-54]. How it got to Florence is not known.10
Bonomi,Joseph. An English Egyptologist [died 1808].11
Book of the Dead.Also called the Egyptian Ritual. A collection of chapters treating of the future state of the blessed in the realm of eternal life. It is also in part a catechism with questions and answers. Innumerable copies of it have been found written on papyrus and linen, some of them displaying beautifully executed pictures and vignettes. The first complete copy (of Turin, Italy) was published by Lepsius in 1842, the last by Naville in 1886.3334
Borgian Obelisk.A small obelisk in the Museum of Naples, Italy, bearing a single column of hieroglyphs. It was perhaps erected by Domitian, and had an inscription similar to that of the Albani Obelisk (which see). It was found at Præneste near Rome in 1791 and was formerly in the Borgian Museum at Velletri.10