74 Rev. Edward Hincks on the true Date of the Rosetta Stone. 



three papyri in the Egyptian Museum at Paris, bearing date in Epiphi of the 

 seventh year of Philopator, i. e. in August, 216 B. C. ; in Pharmuthi of the 8th 

 of Epiphanes, i. e. in May, 197 B. C. ; and in Paophi of the 21st of Epiphanes, 

 i. e. in November, 185 B. C. The important point, in which M. Letronne has 

 erred, is that he supposes the second of these papyri to be dated ten months be- 

 fore the Rosetta Stone, when it is really dated two months after it. 



On the first of these papyri and on the Rosetta Stone, Aetes or Aetos is 

 mentioned as priest of Alexander and of the other deified kings ; while on the 

 second of the papyri Demetrius is mentioned as filling that office. On the second 

 and third papyri, as well as on the Rosetta Stone, Hirene is mentioned as priestess 

 of Arsinoe Philopator ; but the Athlophora of Berenice Evergetis and the Cane- 

 phora of Arsinoe Philadelphe are different in all the documents ; Aria, however, 

 the Canephora of the Rosetta Stone, being the Athlophora of the second papyrus. 

 The inferences then are as follows : 



5. Demetrius being priest of the kings before 

 the decree recorded on the Rosetta Stone, while 

 Aetos was priest at the time of that decree, and 

 also at a period previous to it, the office of priest 

 of the kings was not a permanent one, but was 

 probably annual. 



6, The offices of Athlophora, Canephora, and 

 Priestess of Arsinoe, were all annual. It would 

 be highly improbable, if this were not the case, 

 that the persons holding them would in two out 

 of the three cases, be changed during the short 

 period of ten months. 



7. The office of Athlophora was not placed 

 first, as being a more important office than that 

 of Canephora ; for Aria held the former office in 

 197, and the latter in the following year. M. 

 Letronne conjectures that the reason for the for- 



5. Demetrius not being priest, so far as we 

 know, till after Aetos had ceased to be so ; there 

 is no ground for supposing the office to be an- 

 nual. Aetos probably held it from the com- 

 mencement of the reign of Philopator till after 

 the Rosetta decree. In the course of the next 

 two months, he either died or was removed by 

 the new sovereign, who, it will be recollected, 

 assumed the reins of government at the date of 

 that decree. 



6. There is no reason as yet for supposing 

 that any of the royal priesthoods was annual. 

 The changes which took place between the dates 

 of the Rosetta Stone, and of the second papyrus, 

 were such as it was highly probable would take 

 place, if the office were held during pleasure, in 

 the two months next following the attainment 

 of his majority by a minor sovereign. 



7. The office of Athlophora, being always 

 placed before that of Canephora, was a more im- 

 portant office. Aria, who held the latter in 

 March, 197, was promoted to the former before 

 May in that year, the former Athlophora dying. 



