'CHAP. XIII. NEITH. SAIS. 283 



certain nome of Egypt in the Delta, called Saitic, 

 whose capital is the city of Sa'is, the birthplace 

 of King Amasis. The founder of this city was a 

 Goddess, whom the Egyptians call Neith, the 

 Greeks Minerva ; and its inhabitants are very much 

 attached to the Athenians, to whom they consider 

 themselves in some degree related."* 



Stephanus of Byzantium, Hesychius, and others, 

 agree with Plutarch in saying that the Minerva of 

 Thebes had the appellation of Onka ; and it is 

 worthy of remark, that an instance occurs there of 

 the name of Neith with the adjunct Onk or Ank, 

 as is shown by the hieroglyphics of the accompany- 

 ing Plate t, which may either be an occasional title 

 of the Goddess Neith, or be corrupted from the 

 name of Anouke, the Egyptian Vesta. 



Some have supposed the word Sais to signify an 

 olive tree, on the assumption that Saith in Hebrew 

 has this meaning; but neither was the Sai'te nome 

 famed for the growth of this tree, nor was tlie 

 olive supposed by the Egyptians to be the gift of 

 Minerva. Saith, indeed, is not the Hebrew word ; 

 it is Zefh ri'i, the same as the Arabic Zet, signify- 

 ing oil, and the town of Sais was called, in Egyp- 

 tian, Ssa or Sai, and has not, therefore, one letter 

 in common with the Hebrew name of the olive. 

 An additional reason for this conjecture was, pro- 

 bably, the fact of Athens having been colonised by 

 people from Saist, who were supposed to have 



* It is amusing to observe the pretensions of the (irreeks, who 

 fancied themselves the founders of Sais and of lleliopohs. Diodor. v. 

 57. &c. 



f Vide Phitc28. llierog. No. 1. J Diodor. i. 28. 



