dates of birth and burial of the bulls, that is to say the exact year in a king's reign. Apis was represented with a disk and uraeus between the horns. It was supposed that, at his death-like a human being-he became one with Osiris.

Apis. Greek name for Nut-ent-Hapi, the capital of the third nome of Lower Egypt, the modern Kom el Hism. Chief deity, Hathor.

Aphroditopolis. The Greek name for Tep-aḥet, capital of the twenty-second nome of Upper Egypt, the modern Atfih. Chief deity, Hathor.

Aphroditopolis. The Greek name for Tebt, capital of the tenth nome of Upper Egypt, the modern Itfu. Chief deity, Hathor.

Apollinopolis Magna. The Greek name for Tebt, the capital of the second nome of Upper Egypt, the modern Edfu. Chief deity, Hor-beḥutet (7.v.).

Apt. That part of Thebes which lay on the east bank of the Nile. It was divided into " Northern Apt," represented by Karnak, and "Southern Apt,'

the modern Luxor.

Ap-uat-literally "the opener of the ways." He is one of the forms of Anubis, and was worshipped at Asyût. His office was to introduce the souls of the departed into the "divine hidden land." (See ANUBIS.)

Ārär. Name of the Uraeus, the serpent which was worn on the forehead of gods and kings. It was an emblem of divinity and royalty. (See URAEUS.)

Arch. Although the Egyptians were acquainted with the arch they but rarely used it. The earliest specimen

of a true arch is found in a IVth Dynasty mastǎba at Medûm.

Architects. Since architecture was Egypt's principal art, all others being more or less accessory or subsidiary, it is natural that of all artists the architects should have been most honoured. The names of many are recorded on stelae in museums and in tombs. The office sometimes appears to have been hereditary, and sometimes even a royal prince did not disdain to take the office of "chief of all the constructions of Upper and Lower Egypt," the holder of which was apparently highly honoured by the king. At times it was combined with the priestly office, as in the case of Bak-en-Khensu, first prophet of Amen, and principal architect at Thebes under Seti I. and Ramses II., whose sepulchral statue is preserved at Munich. The most famous architect whose name has come down to us is Sen-mut, the favourite of Hatshepsut, and builder of Dêr-el-Baḥri.

Ari-hes-nefer.

Ari-hes-nefer. This Ethiopian god is

a son of Ra and Bast, and was one of the chief deities of the tenth nome of Upper Egypt. There are the remains of a temple to his honour on the Island of Philae. He is represented with a lion's head and the double crown, or with a human head and a headdress consisting of the disk, ram's horns, plumes and two uraei.

Arit. One of the gates of Hades, guarded by а mummiform creature called Aau.

Arms. (See WEAPONS.)

Arrows. Wood and reed arrows from twentytwo to thirty-four inches long, tipped with hard wood, flint, or metal have been found. Those with hard wood and flint heads were probably only used

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by huntsmen. As a weapon of war the arrow tipped with a bronze head, which was sometimes barbed, and sometimes triangular and made with three or four blades. The shaft of the weapon was winged with three feathers like a modern arrow.

Arsinoë. A town in the Fayûm dedicated to Arsinoë, the sister-wife of Ptolemy Philadelphus. The ancient site is now represented by the modern town of Medinet el Fayûm.

Asher. That part of Thebes lying to the south of the temple of Amen at Karnak and dedicated to Mut, the wife of Amen, to whom Amen-hetep III. dedicated a temple. Later on Shishak placed there many lioness-headed statues of the goddess.

Àssȧ, Dād-ka-Ra, IVth Dynasty, cir. B.C. 3580.

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Traces of this king have been found in the Wady Hammamât and the Wady Maghârah. The Proverbs of Ptah-hetep (Prisse Papyrus) date back to this reign.

Astarte. A goddess imported from Syria, probably at the time of the great Kheta war under Ramses II., but not popular until later. Her title is "lady of horses and chariots." The eastern quarter of Tanis was dedicated to her. Sometimes she is represented with the head of a lioness.

Astronomy. Great attention was paid to this science, and though, judging from our modern knowledge of the subject, the Egyptians only knew the rudiments, from the standpoint of Diodorus Siculus, they were very learned. "There is no country where the positions and movements of the stars are observed

with such accuracy as in Egypt. They have kept, during an incredible number of years, registers where these observations are recorded. But, unfortunately, none of these "registers" have come down to us.

Thoth was the god who taught men the science of the heavens. An important part of the priestly college was the school of astronomy. The priests of Rā seem to have been the first to recognize the importance of this study, and their keenness of sight is indicated in some of the titles they bear, as great of sight, the reader who knows the face of the heavens, the great of sight in the mansion of the Prince of Hermonthis.” The astronomers attached to the temples were called "watchers of the night." They knew at least five of our planets, and some of the constellations have been identified. Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars and Venus were depicted under various forms, but were not actually worshipped. Orion (Sahu) and Sirius (Sothis), according to our interpretation, were supposed to be the abodes respectively of the souls of Horus and Isis. They are represented in various places as human beings standing in the little barks in which they sailed the ocean of the sky, or, as at Dendera, Orion as a man beckoning to Sirius as a cow reclining in the bark behind him.

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The constellations were reckoned to be thirty-six in number, the thirty-six decani to whom were attributed mysterious powers, and of whom the star Sothis was queen-Sothis transformed into the star of Isis, when Orion (Sahu) became the star of Osiris." (Maspero.)

The chief maps of the sky preserved on temple and tomb walls are those at the Ramesseum, Dendera, and in the tomb of Seti I. at Thebes. Star tables are found in the tombs of Ramses IV. and Ramses IX. at Thebes, but they are carelessly done, as probably they were only considered as part of the decoration of the tomb. The constellations were represented as stars outlining the bodies of animals. Our constellation, the "Plough, was their Haunch." Behind the haunch came a

female hippopotamus, and on her back a crocodile. A couchant lion faced the haunch, with a curious composite animal underneath.

Atef. See CROWNS.

Åten. The name given to the solar disk, the worship of which under that name was the chief cult under Amen-hetep IV. (Khu-en-Åten), who tried to make it the religion of the country. Until this period the Åten had rarely stood alone, although the phrase "Rā in his Aten" is not uncommon. The god is always represented as the solar disk with rays extending from it, each terminating in a hand, and never in human form. The hands usually hold the

f, which they present to the king and queen. The centre

of his cult was at the modern Tel el Amarna, and in the hills behind are the tombs of his worshippers. In one tomb is preserved a very fine hymn to the Åten (published by Bouriant in "Mémoires de la Mission au Caire"). (See KHU-EN-ÅTEN and Hymns.)

Athribis. Greek name for Het-ta herabt, the capital of the tenth nome of Lower Egypt, the modern Benha el

Åten.

Asal. The chief deity was Heru-Khent-khati.

Avaris. The Greek name of Hat-uart, a city mentioned by Josephus (contra Apion) as having been built by the Hyksos, and eventually their last stronghold in Egypt, it being the last place to give way before the