Petosiris

High-priest of Thoth c.300 BC.

    At Tuna el Gebel in Middle Egypt there is the necropolis of the ancient city of Hermopolis, which was a centre for the worship of the ibis-god, Thoth. In AD 1920, Lefebvre excavated here the family tomb of Petosiris, who was an important citizen of Hermopolis and the High-priest of the Temple of Thoth. He lived at the time when Egypt was ruled by *Ptolemy I, and the decoration of his tomb is of particular significance in terms of Graeco-Egyptian art.

    Petosiris, his wife and one of his sons were buried in the shaft of this tomb, and his sarcophagus, which was discovered there, was taken to Cairo Museum. It is the vestibule and the chapel of the tomb which are of great importance, for it is here that wall scenes provide an excellent example of the hybrid art which was developing at that time. This emerged alongside the purely Greek forms which flourished mainly at Alexandria and the traditional Egyptian style which remained untouched by the pressures of Greek culture that now prevailed throughout Egypt.

    The theme of the scenes in Petosiris' tomb remains true to the Egyptian tradition. However, the style—in terms of clothes, hairstyles and personal adornment of the figures—is Hellenistic, and the accompanying wall inscriptions include such elements as personal piety which do not usually occur in traditional Egyptian funerary texts. In the vestibule (a later addition, dedicated to Petosiris), the hybrid art is present in the wall scenes showing daily activities—harvesting, metal-working, carpentry and bringing offerings to the deceased. In the chapel (built by Petosiris for the cult of his father and eldest brother), the scenes are more traditionally Egyptian in style, and depict the funeral procession, the presentation of offerings, and the worship of the gods.

BIBL. Suys, E. Vie de Petosiris. Brussels: 1927; Picard, C. Le influences etrangeres au tombeau de Petosiris: Grece ou Perse? BIFAO 30 (1931) pp. 201-7.

Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt by Rosalie and Antony E. David

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(fl. 330 BC). High priest of Thothat Hermopolis. Son of the high priest of Thoth, Sishu, and Ankhefenkhons. He succeeded his elder brother as high priest and probably held office at the end of the Persian Period and the beginning of Greek rule. He was the owner of a magnificent tomb at Tuna el-Gebel discovered in 1919. In the biographical inscriptions there, he claims to have restored the neglected temples of his city.

   See also Graeco-Roman Period.

Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier