THE EARLY TEMPLE AND PYRAMID BUILDERS. 101 



We seem driven to the couclusiou that the cousteUatiou of the bull 

 dates from this time, and that Hapi represented it.* 



(C) THE ART OF THE PYRAMID BUILDERS. 



Another connecting link is found in the diorite statues found in the 

 temple of Chephren, at the pyramids, and at Tell-loh (ancient Sirgulla) 

 by M. de Sarzec in 1881. This last find consisted of some large statues 

 of diorite, and the attitude chosen was that of Chephren himself as rep- 

 resented in the Museum of Gizeh. This indicates e<]uality in the arts 

 and the possession of similar tools in Chakhea and Egypt about the 

 time in question. 



((/) THE STAR WORSHIP OF THE PYRAMID BUILDERS. 



I have given before the gods of Heliopolis, and have shown that with 

 the exception of Sit none are stellar, and that the temple of Sit is still 

 represented. But we find in pyramid times the list is vastly changed; 

 only the sun gods, Ra, Horus, Osiris, are common to the two. As new 

 divinities we find : + 



Isis, ISTephthys, Serk-t, 



Hathor, Ptah, Sokhit. 



Of these the first two and the last two undoubtedly symbolized stars, 

 and there can be no question that the temple of Isis at the pyramids 

 was built to watch the rising of some of them.| Of Isis and Hathor I 

 have already written at length, and I think the stars are now known. 

 The others are more doubtful, but it may be that Ptah = Capella and 

 Serk-t = Antares. 



But it is also stated .that at Memj)his§ [time not given] there were 

 temples dedicated to Soutekh and Baal. Now this is of great impor- 

 tance, for I supi^ose there is now no question among Egyi^tologists that 

 the gods Set, Sit, Typhon, Bes, Soutekli, Soutkhou are identical. It is 

 also equally well known that Soutekli was a god of the Oanaanites;|| 

 that the hippoi)otamus, the emblem of Set and Typhon, was the hiero'- 

 glyi)h of the Babylonian god Baal, ^ and Bes is identified with Set in 

 the book of the dead.** 



* J!^ot only the bull ; there is evidence in favor of the view that the goddess Serk-t=: 

 Antares. If so, the scorpion constellation had also been established and both 

 equinoxes marked by constellations iu the time of Cheops. 



tMaspero, op. cit., p. 64. 



tThe temple of Sais, as I have said, had east and west walls, and so had Mem- 

 phis, according to Lepsius. The form of Isis at Sais was the goddess Neith, which, 

 according to some authorities, was the precursor of Athene. The temple of Athene 

 at Athens was oriented to the pleiades. 



^ Maspero, op. cit., p. 357. 



II Maspero, op. cit., p, 165. 

 ^ Pierret, p. 4. 

 ^''idem, p. 48. 



