Petosiris (Ancient Greek: Πετόσιρις),[1][2] called Ankhefenkhons, was the high priest of Thoth at Hermopolis and held various priestly degrees in the service of Sakhmet, Khnum, Amen-Re and Hathor.

Tomb of Petosiris at Tuna el-Gebel
The Coffin of Petosiris in the Egyptian Museum.
Façade of the tomb of Petosiris (east side) at Tuna el-Gebel

Petosiris was the son of Sishu and Nefer-renpet. He lived in the second half of the 4th century BCE, during the 28th Dynasty. In his tomb, located in the necropolis at Tuna el-Gebel, Petosiris prided himself on having re-established the fortunes of the temples in which he served.

There is a pseudepigraphic onomantic text, Petosiris to Nechepso, and it is possible that the priestly Petosiris described in this article is the inspiration for the attribution of authorship.[3] Nechepso lived in the 7th century BCE and the text is likely 2nd century BCE.

The tomb of Petosiris

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Petosiris is particularly known for the tomb he had built for himself in Tuna el-Gebel, the necropolis of Hermopolis Magna. The architecture of the tomb is modeled on a temple with a pronaos.[4] The tomb is also known for its depictions of everyday scenes in a mixed Greco-Egyptian style. Greek graffiti proves that the tomb of Petosiris, later venerated as a saint, was visited by the sick in order to be healed. Petosiris's coffin, known for its colorful glass inlays, is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 46592).

Notes

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  1. ^ Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, Petosiris
  2. ^ Suda, pi, 1399
  3. ^ Barton, T. (2002-11-01). Ancient Astrology. p. 26. ISBN 9780203410714.
  4. ^ Gustave Lefebvre: Le tombeau de Petosiris. 3 Bände, Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, Kairo 1923–24 (Volltext als PDF; 33 MB). Band 2, S. 54–91 (Inscription 81, 43ff.).

References

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  • Lefebvre, Gustave: Le Tombeau de Petosiris, L'institut Français d'archéologie orientale, Cairo, 1924
  • Lichtheim, Miriam: Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.3, University of California Press 1980, pp. 44ff.
  • Caroli, Christian A.: Ptolemaios I. Soter - Herrscher zweier Kulturen, Badawi Artes Afro Arabica, 2007, ISBN 3-938828-05-6, ISBN 978-3-938828-05-2, pp. 148–158.
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