View source for Bubastis

{{short description|Archaeological site in Egypt}}
{{for|the character in ''Watchmen''|Characters of Watchmen#Bubastis}}
{{Infobox ancient site
| name           = Tell-Basta
| native_name    = {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲟⲩⲃⲁⲥϯ}}<br/>{{lang|ar|تل بسطة}}
| alternate_name = {{ubl|Bubastis|Per-Bast}}
| image          = Bubastis 011.JPG
| alt   = 
| caption        = View of Bubastis
| map_type       = Egypt
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| coordinates    = {{coord|30|34|22|N|31|30|36|E|display=inline,title}}
| location       = Tell-Basta, [[Sharqia Governorate]], [[Egypt]]
| region         = [[Lower Egypt]]
| type           = Settlement
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| abandoned      = 
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| condition      = In ruins
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| website        = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
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}}
[[File:Lower Egypt-en.png|thumb|Map of ancient Lower Egypt showing Bubastis]]
{{Hiero|1=Bubastis|2=<hiero>bA-st-t:niwt</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}}
'''Bubastis''' ([[Copts|Bohairic Coptic]]: {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲟⲩⲃⲁⲥϯ}} ''Poubasti''; [[Ancient Greek|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Βούβαστις}} ''Boubastis''<ref>[[Herodotus]] ii. 59, 137</ref> or {{lang|grc|Βούβαστος}} ''Boubastos''<ref>[[Strabo]] xvii. p. 805, [[Diodorus]] xvi. 51, [[Pliny the Elder|Plin.]] v. 9. s. 9, [[Ptolemy|Ptol.]] iv. 5. § 52.</ref>), also known in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] as '''Tell-Basta''' or in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] as '''Per-Bast''', was an [[ancient Egypt]]ian city. Bubastis is often identified with the [[Bible|biblical]] ''Pi-Beseth'' ({{langx|he|פי-בסת}} ''py-bst'', [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] 30:17).<ref>[[Ezekial|Ezek.]] 30:17. {{Script/Hebrew|בחורי און ופי-בסת, בחרב יפלו; והןה, בשבי תלכןה.}} "Youths of Awen and Pi-Beset will fall by the sword; and they (fem) will go into captivity." {{Script/Hebrew|הןה}} "they (feminine)" cannot refer to the youths, and so must refer to the cities. Hebrew words meaning "city" are generally feminine ({{Script/Hebrew|עיר, קריה}}).</ref> It was the capital of its own [[nome (Egypt)|nome]], located along the [[Nile|River Nile]] in the [[Nile Delta|Delta]] region of [[Lower Egypt]], and notable as a [[Holy city|center of worship]] for the feline goddess [[Bastet]], and therefore the principal depository in Egypt of [[Animal_mummy#Cats|mummies of cats]]. 

Its [[ruins]] are located in the suburbs of the modern city of [[Zagazig]].

==Etymology==
The name of Bubastis in [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]] is [[wikt:pr-bꜣstt|''Pr-Bȝst.t'']], conventionally pronounced ''Per-Bast'' but its Earlier Egyptian pronunciation can be reconstructed as /ˈpaɾu-buˈʀistit/. It is a compound of Egyptian {{langx|egy|[[wikt:pr|pr]]|label=none}} (“house") and the name of the goddess [[Bastet]]; thus the phrase means "House of Bast".<ref>Mohamed I. Bakr, Helmut Brandl, "Bubastis and the Temple of Bastet", in: M.I. Bakr, H. Brandl, F. Kalloniatis (eds.), ''Egyptian Antiquities from Kufur Nigm and Bubastis''. [http://www.project-min.de/index_en.html Museums in the Nile Delta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108165925/http://www.project-min.de/index_en.html |date=January 8, 2015 }} (M.i.N.) vol. 1, Cairo/ Berlin 2010, pp. 27-36, {{ISBN|978-3-00-033509-9}}.</ref> In later forms of Egyptian, sound shifts had altered the pronunciation. In Bohairic Coptic, the name is rendered {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲟⲩⲃⲁⲥϯ}}, {{lang|cop|Ⲡⲟⲩⲁⲥϯ}} or {{lang|cop|Ⲃⲟⲩⲁⲥϯ}}.

==History==
[[File:Hathor capital - Pharaoh exhibit - Cleveland Museum of Art (27360310044).jpg|thumb|[[Hathor]] capital from the Temple of Bubastis in the collection of the [[British Museum]]<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA1107 British Museum Collection]</ref>]]
Bubastis served as the capital of the ''[[Nome (Egypt)|nome]]'' of ''Am-Khent'', the 18th nome of [[Lower Egypt]]. Bubastis was situated southwest of [[Tanis]], upon the eastern side of the [[Pelusiac branch]] of the Nile. The ''nome'' and city of Bubastis were allotted to the Calasirian division of the Egyptian war-caste.

=== Second Dynasty ===
In a later account by the Greek historian [[Manetho]], it's stated that a "chasm opened near Bubastis and many perished" during the reign of [[Hotepsekhemwy]] in the [[Second Dynasty of Egypt|Second Dynasty]].<ref name="WGW">William Gillian Waddell: ''Manetho (The Loeb Classical Library, Volume 350)''. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) 2004 (Reprint), {{ISBN|0-674-99385-3}}, page 37–41.</ref>

===Twelfth Dynasty===
In the Middle Kingdom, Tell Basta was the site of a large mudbrick palace (16,000 sqm) dated to the Twelfth Dynasty.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://egymonuments.gov.eg/monuments/palace-of-king-amenemhat-iii/ | title=Palace of King Amenemhat III }}</ref> It has been thought to be a residence of [[Amenemhat III]]. A limestone lintel shows the king during his [[Sed festival|Heb Sed Festival]].

===Second Intermediate Period===
Following the Twelfth Dynasty, the Middle Kingdom faded out. At Bubastis, a red granite architrave belonged to [[Sekhemrekhutawy Khabaw|Sekhemre Khutawy Khabaw]].<ref>Britisn Museum EA 1100</ref> In another monument found at Tanis, he is mentioned along with [[Hor]].

===Twenty-Second Dynasty===
It became a royal residence after [[Shoshenq I]], the first ruler and founder of the [[Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt|22nd Dynasty]], became [[pharaoh]] in 943 BC. Bubastis was its height during this dynasty and the [[Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt|23rd]]. It declined after the conquest by [[Cambyses II]] in 525 BC, which heralded the end of the Saite [[Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt|26th Dynasty]] and the start of the [[Achaemenid Empire]].

The Twenty Second Dynasty of Egyptian monarchs consisted of nine, or, according to [[Eusebius]]<ref>''[[Chronicon (Eusebius)|Chronicon]]''</ref> of three Bubastite kings, and during their reigns the city was one of the most considerable places in the Delta. Immediately to the south of Bubastis were the allotments of land with which [[Psamtik I]] rewarded the services of his [[Ionians|Ionian]] and [[Carians|Carian]] mercenaries;<ref>Herodotus ii. 154</ref> and on the northern side of the city commenced the [[Canal of the Pharaohs]], which Pharaoh [[Necho II]] began (but never finished) to go between the Nile and the [[Red Sea]].<ref>[http://www.losttrails.com/pages/Tales/Inquiries/Herodotus_13.html Herodotus ii. 158]</ref>

=== Persian rule and decline ===

After Bubastis was taken by the Persians, its walls were dismantled.<ref>Diod. xvi. 51.</ref> From this period it gradually declined, although it appears in ecclesiastical annals among the [[episcopal see]]s of the province [[Augustamnica|Augustamnica Secunda]]. Bubastite coins of the age of [[Hadrian]] exist.
The following is the description which [[Herodotus]] gives of Bubastis, as it appeared shortly after the period of the Persian invasion, 525 BC, and Hamilton remarks that the plan of the ruins remarkably warrants the accuracy of this historical eye-witness:
{{quote|Temples there are more spacious and costlier than that of Bubastis, but none so pleasant to behold. It is after the following fashion. Except at the entrance, it is surrounded by water: for two canals branch off from the river, and run as far as the entrance to the temple: yet neither canal mingles with the other, but one runs on this side, and the other on that. Each canal is a hundred feet wide, and its banks are lined with trees. The propylaea are sixty feet in height, and are adorned with sculptures (probably intaglios in relief) nine feet high, and of excellent workmanship. The Temple being in the middle of the city is looked down upon from all sides as you walk around; and this comes from the city having been raised, whereas the temple itself has not been moved, but remains in its original place. Quite round the temple there goes a wall, adorned with sculptures. Within the inclosure is a grove of fair tall trees, planted around a large building in which is the effigy (of Bast). The form of that temple is square, each side being a stadium in length. In a line with the entrance is a road built of stone about three stadia long, leading eastwards through the public market. The road is about {{convert|400|ft|m}} broad, and is flanked by exceeding tall trees. It leads to the temple of Hermes.<ref>Herodotus ii. 138.</ref>}}

==Religion==
[[File:AmenophisIIRelief-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg|thumb|Relief of the pharaoh [[Amenhotep II]], made of red granite. It depicts the pharaoh worshiping the god [[Amun]]. From the [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]], circa 1430 BC, with an additional inscription by [[Seti I]] (circa 1290 BC). Originally from Bubastis, [[British Museum]].<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=177365&partId=1&place=35541&plaA=35541-3-2&page=1 British Museum Collection]</ref>]]
Bubastis was a center of worship for the feline goddess [[Bastet]], sometimes called ''Bubastis'' after the city, who the [[ancient Greece|Greeks]] identified with [[Artemis]]. The [[cats in ancient Egypt|cat was the sacred and peculiar animal]] of Bast, who is represented with the head of a cat or a [[lion]]ess and frequently accompanies the deity [[Ptah]] in monumental inscriptions. The tombs at Bubastis were accordingly the principal depository in Egypt of the [[Animal mummy#Cats|mummies of the cat]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Evans|first1=Elaine A.|title=Cat Mummies|url=https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/2001/05/01/cat-mummies/|website=McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture|date=May 2001|access-date=8 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Scott|first1=Nora E.|title=The Cat of Bastet|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins/1/pdf/3258805.pdf.bannered.pdf|website=Metropolitan Museum of Art|access-date=8 April 2018|archive-date=9 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809024006/https://www.metmuseum.org/pubs/bulletins/1/pdf/3258805.pdf.bannered.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The most distinguished features of the city and nome of Bubastis were its oracle of Bast, the splendid temple of that goddess and the annual procession in honor of her. The oracle gained in popularity and importance after the influx of Greek settlers into the Delta, since the identification of Bast with Artemis attracted to her shrine both native Egyptians and foreigners.

The festival of Bubastis was considered the most joyous and gorgeous of all in the Egyptian calendar as described by [[Herodotus]]:
{{quote|Barges and river craft of every description, filled with men and women, floated leisurely down the Nile. The men played on pipes of lotus. the women on cymbals and tambourines, and such as had no instruments accompanied the music with clapping of hands and dances, and other joyous gestures. Thus did they while on the river: but when they came to a town on its banks, the barges were made fast, and the pilgrims disembarked, and the women sang, playfully mocked the women of that town and threw their clothes over their head. When they reached Bubastis, then held they a wondrously solemn feast: and more wine of the grape was drank in those days than in all the rest of the year. Such was the manner of this festival: and, it is said, that as many as seven hundred thousand pilgrims have been known to celebrate the Feast of Bast at the same time.<ref>{{Cite DGRG |title=Bubastis |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=bubastis-geo |access-date=2012-01-28}}</ref>}}

==Christian bishopric==
[[File:Upper part, figure of an official of Amenhotep III, from a double statue. From Bubastis (Tell-Basta), Egypt. From the Amelia Edwards Collection. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|150px|Upper part, figure of an official of Amenhotep III, from a double statue. From Bubastis, Egypt. [[Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology]], London]]
Extant documents mention the names of three Christian bishops of Bubastis of the 4th and 5th centuries:
* Harpocration, one of the bishops ordained by [[Melitius of Lycopolis]] listed in 325
* Hermon, a contemporary of [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], in about 362
* Iulianus at the [[Second Council of Ephesus]] in 449<ref>Pius Bonifacius Gams, [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=65154&dirids=1 ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae''], Leipzig 1931, p.&nbsp;461</ref><ref>Michel Lequien, [https://books.google.com/books?id=86weAemI-e4C ''Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus''], Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 559-562</ref><ref>[[Klaas Worp|Klaas A. Worp]], [https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/8214/5_039_223.pdf?sequence=1 ''A Checklist of Bishops in Byzantine Egypt (A.D. 325 - c. 750)''], in ''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' 100 (1994) 283-318</ref>

==Excavations==
The tomb of the late [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] [[Vizier (Ancient Egypt)|vizier]] [[Iuty]] was discovered in December 1964 in the "Cemetery of the Nobles" of Bubastis by the Egyptian archaeologist Shafik Farid.

Since 2008, the German-Egyptian "Tell Basta Project" has been conducting excavations at Bubastis. Previously, in March 2004, a well preserved copy of the [[Decree of Canopus]] was discovered in the city.<ref>[http://ees.ac.uk/research/Tell%20Basta.html Tell Basta Project (EES/ University of Göttingen/ SCA)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030134954/http://ees.ac.uk/research/Tell%20Basta.html# |date=2013-10-30 }} Egypt Exploration Society</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of ancient Egyptian towns and cities]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{DGRG|title=Bubastis}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Bubastis}}
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20131030134954/http://ees.ac.uk/research/Tell%20Basta.html Tell Basta Project (EES/ University of Göttingen/ SCA)] Egypt Exploration Society
*[http://www.gitta-warnemuende.de/tellbasta/project.htm Preliminary German website of Tell Basta Project]
*[http://project-min.de/home/english/zagazig_en.html Finds from Bubastis on the website of MUSEUMS IN THE NILE DELTA (project M.i.N.)]

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{{succession box|title=[[List of Egyptian capitals|Capital of Egypt]]|before=[[Tanis]]|after=[[Leontopolis]]|years=945 - 715 BC}}
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{{Ancient Egypt topics}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Populated places established in the 10th century BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 1st millennium]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Egypt]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
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[[Category:Former populated places in Egypt]]
[[Category:Nile Delta]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]
[[Category:Former capitals of Egypt]]
[[Category:Bastet]]
[[Category:Cities in ancient Egypt]]