48 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XIII. 



dile's tail*, which signified " black," or at least had 



^^ 



the force of Kh^ the Jm ^^ ^^ /^^^ 

 initial of the word. -^^ ' ©' ^^^ 



3 2 1 



The crocodile's tail in the name of Egypt, 

 " Khemi." 



Egypt was also called the "land of the tree" (of 



Khem), and " of the eye" (of 

 Osiris?). O 



2 1 



Other modes of writing the name 



of Egypt. 



The two last occur in the inscription of the Ro- 

 setta stone, as on other monuments, but the former 

 are more usual on sculptures of an early period. 



It is singular that no one of these groups is ap- 

 plied to, or enters among, the hieroglyphics of this 

 Goddess. There is, however, a God who seems 

 to represent Egypt, or Khemi, on whose head the 

 crocodile's tail is placed ; but he is of late date, 

 and only found in monuments of a Ptolemaic or 

 Roman epoch. He performs the office of steers- 

 man of the boat of Atmoo, in the place of Horus. 



That Egypt was called Khemi in the earliest 

 times is evident from the sculptures : but the name 

 Egypt is not found in the hieroglyphics ; nor do we 

 find that of Aeria, by which some pretend it was 

 known at a very remote period.! 



* Horapollo (Ilicrog. i. 70.) says "a crocodile's tail signifies ' dar/c- 

 /(r,s.s;"' in Coptic K^-KG, KCJULC, KHJULGTC, y^peJULC^ 



X.eJULC, or (fi)JUL(fjiJL. 



-f Aul. (iell. xiv. G. Vidr xiijmi. Vol. I. (2cl Series) p. 262. The 

 analogy between Klieni, Ham, ami licni, orhamoo, " fever," or " heat," 

 is remarkable. 



