Page:The Natural History of Pliny.djvu/442

 408 pliky's NATFKAL HISTOET. [Book y. taeopolites Aphroditopolites^, and Lycopolites'. The di- strict which lies in the vicinity of Pelusium contains the following Nomes, Pharbsethites, Bubastites'*, Sethroites, and Tanites^. The remaining Nomes are those called the Arabian ; the Hammonian, which lies on the road to the oracle of Jupiter Hammon ; and those known by the names of Oxyrynchites, Leontopolites, Athribites^, Cynopolites'^, Hermop elites^, Xoites, Mendesium, Sebennytes^, Cabasites, Latopolites, Heliopolites, Prosopites,Panopolites,Busirites^°, Onuphites", Saites^", Ptenethu, Phthemphu^^, Naucratites^"*, Metelites, G-ynsecopolites, Menelaites, — all in the region of Alexandria, besides Mareotis in Libya. Heracleopolites^^ is a Nome on an island^^ of the Nile, for its chief town Chemmis or Panopolis. It paid divine honours to a deified hero. ^ It probably worshipped Typhon. Its capital was Antseopolis. 2 Probably an offshoot from a nome in theHeptanomis of similar name. 3 Dedicated to the worship of the wolf. Its chief town was Lycopohs. It should be remarked that these names do not appear to be given by Pliny in their proper geographieal order. ^ Some of these nomes were inconsiderable and of httle importance. The Bubastite nome worshipped Bubastis, Artemis, or Diana, of whom. ' it contained a fine temple. •'' Its chief town was Tanis. In this nome, according to tradition, Moses was born. ^ Its capital was Athribis, where the shrew-mouse and crocodile were worshipped. 7 The seat of the worship of the dog-headed deity Anubis. Its capital was CynopoUs ; which is to be distingiiished from the Deltic city and other places of that name, as this was a nome of the Heptanomis or Middle Egypt, to which also the Hammonian nome belonged. ^ The border nome of Upper and Middle Egypt. ^ Its capital was Paclmamunis. It worshipped a goddess correspond- ing to the Greek Leto, or the Latona of the Romans. '^ Its capital was Busiris. It worshipped Isis, and at one period was said to have sacrificed the nomad tribes of Syria and Arabia. ^^ Its chief town was Onuphis. ^2 Its chief city was Sais, and it worshipped Neith or Athene, and contained the tomb and a sanctuary of Osiris. ^^ Its capital was Tava. ^■^ Its chief town was Naucratis on the coast, the birth-place of Athe- nseus, the Deipnosophist. By some authors it is made part of the Saitic nome. The names given by PUny vary very considerably from those found in others of the ancient writers. ^^ The capital of this nome was Heracleopolis, 'The city of Hercules,* as Pliny calls it, situate, as he says, on an island, at the entrance of the