Chap. 11.] ACCOUNT OF C0T7NTEIES, ETC. 417 



ter\ After this comes Tentyris^, below which is Abj^dus^, the 

 royal r.bode of Memnon, and famous for a temple of Osiris^, 

 which is situate iu Libya^ at a distance from the river of 

 seven miles and a half. Next to it comes Ptolemais^, then 

 Panopolis^, and then another town of Venus ^, and, on the 

 Libyan side, Lycon^, where the mountains form the boun- 

 dary of the pro^dnce of Thebais. On passing these, we come 

 to the towns of Mercury^", Alabastron^\ the town of 



the place, the ruins of which are called Aftyeh, on the east side of the 

 Nile, and the capital of the nome of Apliroditopolites. In Tipper Egy])t 

 or the Thebais there was the present Tachta, on the west side of the 5>ilt', 

 between Ptolemais and Panopolis, capital of another nonie of Aplu-odito- 

 poHtes, and that one the ruins of which are now called Deir, on the west 

 bank of the Nile, liigher up than the fonner, and, Hke it, some distance 

 from the river. It was situate in the nome Hermonthites. 



^ Another Diospolis. Great DiospoHs is mentioned in the preceding:: 

 page. 2 Or Tentjra. The modem Dendera of tlie 



Arabs, called Dcnd6ri or Hidendori by the ancient Eg\^tians. 



3 In ancient times caLed This, and in Coptic Ebot, the ruins of which 

 are now kno\\Ti as Arabat-el-Matfoon. It was the cliief town of tlic 

 Nomos Thinites, and was situate in lat. 26° 10' north and long. 32° 3' 

 east. In the Thebaid it ranked next to Thebes itself. Here according 

 to general belief was the bui'ial-place of Osiris. In the tune of Strabo it 

 had sunk into a mere village. Its ruins, though neai'ly buried in thr 

 sand, are very extensive. There is, however, some imcertainty as to the 

 exact identity of This with Abydus. 



■* The ruins of these places are stiU to be seen at Abydus. 



^ He calls the whole of the country on the western bank of the NQt; 

 by this name. ^ CaUed Absou or AbsaJi by the Arabs, and Psoe by 



the ancient Egyptians. It has been suggested that it was the same place 

 as This, more generally identified with Abydus. 



' Its site is now called Ekhmin or Akiimin by the Arabs, Khmim being 

 its ancient Egyptian name. It was the cliicf town of the nome of Pano- 

 pohtes, and the deity Phtliah was worshipped there under the form of 

 Priapus. 



^ Another Aphroditopolia, the present Tachta, mentioned above, in 

 Note ** in the last page. Phny distincuislu's it from that tiow called 

 Deir, mentioned above. * Now known as Es-Siout. 



^0 Or Ilermopolis — the modem Erfli-moon or Ash-niounion, on tlic 

 eastern bank of the Nile, in lat. 27° 51' north. It was the capital of 

 tlie Hermoi)ohte nome in the Hc})tanomis. It was a place of great 

 opulence and densely populated. The deities Typhon and Thoth were 

 principally worshipped at this place. Tlio latter, the inventor of tlie 

 pen and letters, nearly corresponded with the Hermes of the Greeks (the 

 Mercury of the Romans), from which the HcUenized name of the place. 

 Its ruins are very extensive. 



*' Tliis town ^vas no doubt cor.uected v^ith the alabaster quarries of 

 VOL. I. 2 E 



