CHAP. XIII. HEIFERS SACRED TO ISIS. 381 



cause these are sacred to Isis, who is represented in 

 her statues under the form of a woman with horns*, 

 as the Greeks figure lo. All the Egyptians liave 

 far more consideration for heifers, than any other 

 cattle ; and there is not an Egyptian man or woman 

 who would consent to kiss a Greek on the mouth, 

 nor even to use his knife, his spit, or his boiler, 

 nor taste the meat of a clean bull which had been 

 cut by a Greek's knife. If a bull or a heifer 

 happens to die, their funeral is performed in the 

 following manner : the heifers are thrown into the 

 river ; and tlie bulls are buried in the suburbs, 

 with one horn or both above ground, to mark the 

 spot. Here the body remains till it is decomposed ; 

 and a boat, despatched from the Isle of Prosopitis, 

 comes round to eacii town at a particular period. 



" Prosopitis is an island in the Delta, nine 

 .schwnes in circumference, containing several towns; 

 one of which, called Atarbechis, sends the boats 

 destined to collect the bones, and employs several 

 persons to go from town to town to exhumate 

 them, and take them to a particular spot, where 

 they are buried. They inter in like manner all 

 other cattle which die. Such is their law, for they 

 do not kill them. At Atarbechis t is a temple 

 sacred to Athor, the Egyptian Venus." 



In this statement of Herodotus, the connection 

 between Isis and Athor is evident, both from the 

 description of the Goddess with cow's horns, and 



* This is the usual form of Athor. Conf. .Elian, x. 27. 

 f Bek or Beki, " a city," is found in several words ; as Atarbechis, 

 the cifi/ of Athor ; Baalbek, the ci/j/ of Baal (the Sun) ; and others. 



