97 



temple's site, and the uuiterials of successive cities had to be sujjplemciited 

 from the remains of the Abode of Tum. 



' ' The monuments found in the temple enclosure by M. Naville are these : — 



"• 1 . The oldest is a hawk with the name of Ramses II., nineteenth dynasty. 



" 2. Twenty-second dynasty. Small inscription of Sheshonk (Shishak) ; 

 granite statue of Osorkhon II. ; another of Takeloth. Probably the gi'eat 

 black granite statue which lies broken in the storehouse next the temple 

 belongs also to Osorkhon II. 



" 3. Ptolemaic. A great (hieroglyphic) stela of Ptolemy Philadelphus and 

 his sister and Avife Arsinoe. (Arsinoe is placed, in double, among the gods 

 and goddesses, with a new and unknown cartouche in addition to her usual 

 cartouche. The stela relates to the construction or restoration of the canal 

 to the Heroopolite gulf by Ptolemy Philadelphus.) Also a statue with the 

 same new cartouche of Arsinoe. 



" 4. Roman. A milestone, with the names of Galerius Maximian and 

 Severus (.306 or 307 a.d.) and the distance, ab ero in clvsma mi viiii |:=r| 

 (the Ml in monogram), and another stone describing the place as ero cas'ira; 

 and some nomos coins, mostly of Hadrian and Trajan. 



"From these monuments the following facts have been deduced : — 



" I. The Identification of Tell El-Mccskhtltah with the Biblical Pithom.— 

 This is proved by the juxtaposition of the names of Petum and Thuku (the 

 latter previously identitied with Succoth by Heinricli Brugsch Pasha) on the 

 back of the Ptolemaic statue of a priest. The same name Petum occurs 

 three times on a magistrate's statue of the reign of Osorkhon II., and both 

 names are found on a third statue. "Petum [the abode of Tum] in the 

 city or region of Thuku," i.e., Pithom in the city of Succoth, fixes the site 

 beyond a doubt ; and its position in the Wady et-Tumilat, the valley that 

 divides the desert and oflers a direct and practicable road from the eastern 

 border to Memphis, corresponds exactly to the description of "Thuku at 

 the entrance of the east." Thus the excavations at Tell El-I\Iaskhutah have 

 not only identified the strange brick enclosure with the strong store-city 

 which is said in Exodus to have been actually built by the Israelites, but, 

 by also establishing the connexion between Pithom, the sacred name, and 

 Thuku, the ordinary name, they have fixed the position of the first encamp- 

 ment on the route of the Exodus (Exodus xii. 37). Not only do we see the 

 actual storehouses Avhich the children of Israel are related to have built, but 

 we now know the first station on their journey from Egypt into Palestine. 

 The position is certainly by no means where Brugsch placed it. At present 

 it is enough to say that one point in the Exodus is definitely fixed, Avithout 

 entering into the question how to square this point with other points which 

 at present rest upon conjecture. When more sites have been explored — 

 such as San (Tanis) and Daphntu— we may be able to lay down the route 

 with more precision. 



"II. The hlentiJic<(1ioit of the Builder of the City and Temple withliaiases 

 IT. — M. Naville is convincc'd that Ramses II. built the temple, and that he 

 Avas not able to complete his design. The oldest monuments bear his name, 

 and hard by lie blocks of uuAvorked granite and other stone, Avith sculptors' 

 marks, evidently intended to be used in the decoration or enlargement of 

 the temple. The identification of Ramses II, Avith Pharaoh the Oppressor 

 is thus confirmed. The temple Avas afterwards restored or added to by 

 several sovereigns of the tAventy -second dynasty. 



"III. The Identif cation of Tell El-Maslchutah and Fithom irith Hero or 

 Hcrodpolis.—Th'is follows from the tAvo Roman inscriptions, and another 

 stone bearing the II POT shows that the name Avent back to Oreek times. 

 Further, M. Naville traces the name Hero or Ero to Ara, the Egyptian word 

 for storehouse, which occurs in the title of the priest on the statue which first 



