2^8 THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. CHAP. XII. 



5. Sate. 7. Bubastis ?. 



6. ]\Iaut (or perhaps 8. Neith. 

 Buto ?). 



Re, or Ra*, the physical Sun, might also appear 

 to enjoy an equal claim to a rank among the great 

 Gods of Egypt : and in a former workt I had in- 

 troduced that Deity instead of Bubastis ; but it is 

 more probable that Amun-Re and Re were not of 

 the same class of Deities, as the intellectual was of 

 a more exalted nature than tlie physical Sun. 



From Re proceeded a number of other Deities, 

 and the most remarkable of those styled the off- 

 spring of the Sun, are the Goddess of Truth or 

 Justice, Ao, Tafnet, Selk, and Xehimeou. 



Herodotus mentions the eight great Gods, but 

 -without giving their names. He states, however, 

 that Pant (Khem) and Latona§ (Buto) were among 

 the number, and that to the eight great Gods suc- 

 ceeded twelve others of inferior rank, who were 

 followed by the minor Deities. These last con- 

 sisted of many different grades, according to their 

 character and office ; and besides the heavenly and 

 infernal Deities, were Genii of various kinds, as 

 well as inferior Divinities, worshipped in particular 

 places, or by certain individuals. Diodorus || seems 

 to agree in the iiumher of eight great Gods ^ ; 

 giving the names of " the Sun, Saturn, Rhea, 

 Jupiter (called by some Amnion), Juno, Vulcan, 

 Vesta, and Mercury." Chapremon thinks they 



* It was written Re, ami pronounced Ra. 



f Materia Hieroglyphica, p. 2. J Herodot. ii. 145. 



§ Herodot. ii. loG. || Diodor. i. 13. Vide supra, p. \S5. 



\ Though not directly stated, he evidently means the Gods of Egypt. 



