The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-04-29
AvariS at San.


I~che, evidently presides over the for.
tunes OF the Egypt Exploration Fund.
10 discover two long-lost cities of anti
guilty in one season s work, is too many
by at least one, for even one is more,
generally, than the reward of decade
The Independent lately chronicled the
discovery of the home of the Greeks in
Egypt, Naucratis, which has been hiding
during so many centuries, and concern
ing whose place of concealment so many
divergent guesses have been made in late
years; and now it is happy to announce
the detection of the very much longer
vanished home of the Hyksos in Egypt,
Avarls. The latter has lain forgotten
very much longer than Naucratis even:
for it disappeared from human ken when
The Shepherd Kings were driven out of
Egypt back to Philistia or Phenicia. and
that took place $500 years ago Early
IN the present century Avaris was
thought to be Identical with Heroonpolis
and lying at abb Kesheib (now Mask
hntah) by all authorities, D'Anville
Larcher, Champollion, Du Bots Anne LIE
Pere, Gesenius, Jomard, Hengstenberg,
etc. Later, Lepsius placed it at Pelu-
SUM also Stark, but more particularly
at Daphne. Recently it has moved to
Tell el-Her, little to the south of Pelu.
SUM, under the wand of Chabas, Maspe-
no, Boettger, Lenormant, Birch. But
Brugsch-Bey once referred Ha-uar to
Tanis, and not long since De Rouge re
garded the site of Zoan as Avaris. This
identification was adopted by Mr.. R
Stuart Pool in Smiths bible Diction-
airy, the oneness of Tanis-Avaris also
appearing upon the maps of Egypt and
OF Sinai in the Classical Atlas"
Direct proof, however, of this unity was
reserved for resumption of excavations at
San to produce. Last year the research
es were confined to the Roman and Greek
strata; but this winter work seems TO
have been directed at once to the earliest
stage and vestiges of the original city.
Here, Mr.. Petrie has Just uncovered
monument of the highest Importance, in
fragment of COLOSSUS sitting upon a
throne, of king of the Twelfth Dynasty,
probably Qrom the inscription) of Anne
nemhat IL. This fragment presents upon
one side Eve describe from a photograph
Just taken at San by Mr.. w. M. Flinders
Petrie, and kindly communicated by
Miss Amelia B. Edwards) a bit of the
royal tunic, reaching to the knee, leaving
the lower part of the leg bare and upon
the other side, or back of the throne,
across the top, an inscription pertaining
to the king, largely broken off; across
the bottom also giving his titles-only
one of which, however, remains; while
the middle portion is devoted to a repre-
sentatlon of the Nile divinity, Hapi, du-
p!lcated, the two figures facing each
other, and engaged in pressing with the
feet and binding with cords large bunch
es OF water-plants. 1t is the remnant of
the lower record which is of so much
value and interest, and which briefly
reads: Lord of Ha uar Beloved" of
Ptah or Amen The king, therefore
who set up this colossus of himself in this
place, at the same moment honors him
self by the title of Lord of the place.
and declares the place to be Ha-uar,
the Ha-uar which the Greeks called
Avaris.
According to the sacred legend, Asi
or Osiris, reigned as one of the prehis-
toric divine rulers of the land but was
brought to an untimely end by his broth
er, Set or Sutekh, Typhon, who cut him
to pieces and distributed the dismem.
bered body throughout the country. on
learning of his cruel death, his sisters,
Isis, the beautiful, and Nephthys, the
goddess of the lower world, wandered
about everywhere, searching after the
scattered parts of the deceased, and
wherever found erecting a temple or a
tomb of burial. 1t was at Ha-uar that
leg of Osiris was believed to have been
thus found and enshrined, whence the
name, Ha- uar, signifying House of the
Leg, its hieroglyph consisting simply of
the sign for a temple or house of abode, |
with the sign of a Bonded leg. AS this
name has been found on the site in con.
nection with king of the Twelfth Dy-
nasty, and, therefore, dating not far
from 2300 B. c., the Interpretation.
Place of Flight or House of Depar-
ture,' founded on the expulsion of the
Shepherd Kings, will no longer be
thought Of, inasmuch as the unwilling
"exit' of the Hyksos did not happen nm
til about 100 B. @.
The value of this monument further
appears in the fact that the name Avaris.
or Ha-uar, is earlier than the advent of
the Shepherds, and the place older, as
may be inferred from the account of
Manetho. Also, that Manetho was lit.
orally precise and correct in describing
the uifn foup1 in tbe CotL~o;t.z NJ,