- Busiris (Lower Egypt)
Busiris (Greek: polytonic|Βούσιρις, Herod. i. 59, 61,165;
Strabo xvii. p. 802; Plut. "Is. et Osir." 30; Ptol. iv. 5. § 51; Plin. v. 9. s. 11: Hierocl. p. 725; Steph. B. "s. v.") was an ancient city ofLower Egypt , located at the modern Abu Sir Bana. In antiquity, it was the chief town of the nome Busirites inEgypt , and stood west ofSais , near thePhatnitic mouth on the western bank of theDamietta Branch of theNile .The town and nome of Busiris were allotted to the Hermotybian division of the Egyptian militia. It was regarded as one of the birthplaces of
Osiris , as perhaps, etymologically, the name itself implies. The festival ofIsis at Busiris came next in splendor and importance to that ofArtemis atBubastis in the Egyptian calendar. Considerable ruins are still extant.The temple of Isis, indeed, with the hamlet which sprang up around it, stood probably at a short distance without the walls of Busiris itself, for Pliny (v. 10. s. 11) mentions "
Isidis oppidum " in the neighbourhood of the town. The ruins of the temple are still visible, a little to the north of Abusir, at the hamlet ofBahheyt . (Pococke, "Travels", vol. i. p. 34; Minutoli, p. 304.)References
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