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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  1896, 
  when 
  the 
  mosaic 
  was 
  discovered, 
  it 
  was 
  much 
  damaged, 
  but 
  the 
  

   portion 
  preserved, 
  measuring 
  about 
  35 
  feet, 
  includes 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   places 
  connected 
  with 
  Bible 
  history, 
  from 
  Nablus 
  (the 
  Biblical 
  

   Shechem) 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  the 
  delta 
  of 
  the 
  Nile 
  in 
  the 
  south. 
  Like 
  

   all 
  the 
  maps 
  which 
  are 
  based 
  on 
  Greco-Roman 
  tradition, 
  the 
  Medeba 
  

   map 
  is 
  oriented 
  toward 
  sunrise 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  when 
  the 
  map 
  is 
  read 
  the 
  

   east 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  top. 
  It 
  combines 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  ancient 
  Canaan 
  of 
  the 
  

   Israelites 
  with 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  Christian 
  Palestine 
  of 
  the 
  Byzantine 
  

   period. 
  Thus, 
  alongside 
  the 
  Biblical 
  place 
  names 
  are 
  often 
  given 
  

   those 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  making 
  of 
  the 
  map, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  place 
  

   names, 
  about 
  140 
  in 
  number, 
  preserved 
  on 
  the 
  fragment, 
  some 
  60 
  have 
  

   no 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  Biblical 
  narrative. 
  The 
  map, 
  like 
  the 
  mosaic 
  

   pictures 
  of 
  sacred 
  history, 
  is 
  an 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  Bible 
  narrative 
  

   rather 
  than 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  geography. 
  The 
  artist 
  was 
  more 
  intent 
  on 
  the 
  

   picturesque 
  details 
  than 
  on 
  geography. 
  Much 
  care 
  is 
  bestowed 
  on 
  

   the 
  picture 
  of 
  towns. 
  In 
  the 
  desert, 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Jordan, 
  a 
  gazelle 
  is 
  

   pursued 
  by 
  a 
  lion 
  or 
  panther. 
  In 
  the 
  Jordan 
  fishes 
  disport 
  them- 
  

   selves, 
  while 
  its 
  banks 
  are 
  connected 
  by 
  two 
  bridges. 
  On 
  the 
  Dead 
  

   Sea 
  are 
  shown 
  two 
  vessels, 
  necessarily 
  much 
  out 
  of 
  scale. 
  The 
  in- 
  

   scriptions 
  are 
  in 
  Greek. 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  geographical 
  names 
  

   there 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  added 
  Biblical 
  quotations 
  or 
  brief 
  references 
  

   to 
  historical 
  events 
  (pi. 
  14). 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  west 
  side: 
  Decree 
  of 
  Canopus. 
  Dr. 
  R. 
  Lepsius, 
  early 
  in 
  

   1866, 
  while 
  exploring 
  the 
  Isthmus 
  of 
  Suez 
  and 
  the 
  Delta 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  ship 
  canal, 
  uncovered 
  a 
  slab 
  7-J 
  feet 
  by 
  2£ 
  feet, 
  the 
  

   upper 
  part 
  inscribed 
  with 
  hieroglyphics 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  with 
  

   Greek 
  characters. 
  Subsequently 
  a 
  small 
  slab 
  containing 
  a 
  transla- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  into 
  demotic 
  was 
  recovered. 
  The 
  three 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  stele 
  contain 
  a 
  parallel 
  inscription 
  of 
  37 
  lines 
  of 
  heiroglyphics, 
  

   73 
  lines 
  of 
  demotic, 
  and 
  74 
  lines 
  of 
  Greek. 
  

  

  The 
  stele 
  was 
  set 
  up 
  at 
  Canopus 
  in 
  the 
  9th 
  year 
  of 
  Ptolemy 
  III, 
  

   Euergetes 
  I 
  (247-222 
  B. 
  G), 
  to 
  commemorate 
  the 
  great 
  benefits 
  

   which 
  he 
  had 
  conferred 
  upon 
  Egypt, 
  and 
  particularly 
  his 
  restoration 
  

   of 
  the 
  images 
  of 
  the 
  gods 
  which 
  the 
  Persians 
  had 
  carried 
  off 
  to 
  

   Mesopotamia. 
  In 
  grateful 
  acknowledgment 
  of 
  these 
  acts 
  the 
  priests 
  

   assembled 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  Egypt 
  at 
  Canopus, 
  decreed 
  that 
  festivals 
  

   be 
  celebrated 
  in 
  his 
  honor 
  and 
  in 
  that 
  of 
  his 
  wife, 
  Berenice 
  ; 
  that 
  a 
  

   new 
  order 
  of 
  " 
  Priests 
  of 
  the 
  Beneficent 
  Deities 
  " 
  be 
  constituted, 
  and 
  

   that 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  this 
  inscription 
  in 
  hieroglyphics, 
  Greek, 
  and 
  demotic, 
  

   should 
  be 
  placed 
  in 
  every 
  large 
  temple 
  in 
  Egypt. 
  The 
  decree 
  of 
  

   Canopus 
  is 
  also 
  called 
  the 
  Tanis 
  Stone 
  (Biblical 
  Zoan, 
  Arabic 
  San), 
  

   from 
  the 
  locality 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  found. 
  The 
  original 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  

   Museum 
  of 
  Cairo, 
  Egypt. 
  

  

  