EESULTS OP EXCAVATIONS AT BUBASTIS. 25 



every one of them was found to be a fragment of a statue, or 

 of a group which had been cut up, sometimes partly erased 

 and afterwards walled in ; one of the sides being flattened in 

 order to engrave on it the sculptures of Osorkon II. Most of 

 these fragments bear the name of Barneses II. Sometimes 

 the remains of the old statue are in a fair state of preservation, 

 such as, for instance, the block which has been given to the 

 Museum of Liverpool, where there is on one side a very good 

 head of Rameses ; on the other, a sculpture of the sacred boat 

 in which the emblem of Amon was carried ; the piece of statue 

 was used simply as building material, for when it was walled 

 in, the head was turned upside down. Sometimes also we 

 come across the feet of a colossal statue ; on the base, what 

 would be under the feet, if the statue were standing, there are 

 sculptures of Osorkon. I do not believe all this wanton 

 destruction was done by Osorkon intentionally ; although he 

 usurped a good number of the cartouches of Rameses, I cannot 

 fancy that it was he who broke such a great number of statues, 

 while he respected others bearing also the name of Rameses. 

 I presume that the Bubastites found the temple in a state of 

 ruin, and that they made use of what they found on the spot, 

 leaving intact the statues which had not suffered any damage, 

 and taking what was broken for their building, instead of 

 fetching granite blocks all the way from Assooan. Osorkon 

 II. was also a king very little known. I had already discovered 

 some constructions of his at Pithom. At Bubastis he recorded 

 one of the principal events of his life, a great festival given 

 in the temple in the 22nd year of his reign, on the 1st 

 of the month of Choiak. It is extraordinary that the 

 festival is not given in the honour of Bast, but of Amon. 

 It is evidently an old tradition which Osorkon had to 

 follow, something which "took place since the days of 

 his father," as he says in the inscription. It was very 

 likely for the purpose of this festival that he re-built the 

 second hall to which he gave the name of the " festive hall." 

 The walls are covered with sculptures representing the scenes 

 of the festival ; unfortunately, although every block on which 

 there was an inscription or a sculpture has been stamped or 

 photographed, it will never be possible to make a connected 

 description of it. The king is generally represented as a god ; 

 he sits in a sanctuary, the goddess Bast is standing before 

 him, or he has with him his queen, Karoama, as may be seen 

 on a large sculpture now in the British Museum. Sometimes 

 they are accompanied by three of their daughters, whose 

 names are given. The gods of Egypt are supposed to be 

 present at the festival, and there are long series of them 



