390 StratoStrato(fl. third century B.C.E.)Greek scientist and royal
tutor
He arrived in Alexandria in the reign of PTOLEMY I SOTER
(304–284 B.C.E.) to tutor the heir to the Egyptian throne,
PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHUS. Strato was considered the lead-
ing physicist at the Athens Lyceum and was revered. He,
in turn, invited PHILETAS OF COSand ZENODOTUSof Eph-
esus to Alexandria, adding to that city’s reputation as an
academic center.
sun boat It was a divine vehicle depicted in an early
cosmogonic myth, the mode by which the god RÉ, or
the sun itself, traveled through the sky into the realms
of night. The sun deity, whether personified as Ré or in
his original form, was thought to travel across the sky
on this vessel. Sometimes the boat or bark was shown
as a double raft. On his journey, Ré was accompanied
by the circumpolar stars or by his own double. Some-
times he rowed the boat himself, sometimes he moved
by magic. Heka,MAGIC, accompanied the sun in most
myths.
The ENNEADof Heliopolis was composed of gods
who also accompanied the sun in its daily journey. The
SOULS OF NEKHENand the SOULS OF PEwere mentioned
in some myths as riding in the vessel daily. In some
early depictions, the boat was a double serpent, its two
heads forming the prow and the bow. The sun boat had
many adventures during the day, and at night it faced all
the terrors of the darkness, when the dead rose up to
the vessel through the waters. When the sun was associ-
ated with the cult of Ré, the boats were given specific
names.
sun’s eye It was a symbol used in AMULETSand resem-
bling the eye of RÉ. This insignia denoted all things good
and beautiful on the Nile. All life emanated from the sun,
and this symbol, part of the many solar cults, honored
that element of existence.
sun’s well This was the name given to a pool in the
sacred precincts of HELIOPOLIS(originally the city of On
and now a suburb of modern Cairo). Associated with the
deity RÉ, the sun’s well was viewed as a site of the origi-
nal creation. The god Ré rose as a LOTUSof the sun’s
well.
Suppiluliumas I(d. c. 1325 B.C.E.)Ruler of the Hittites
and a threat to Egypt
He ruled the HITTITEEmpire in the reigns of AMENHOTEP
III (1391–1353 B.C.E.) and AKHENATEN (1353–1335
B.C.E.). Suppiluliumas I fought Egypt’s allies, the MITAN-
NIS, in Syria. He also destroyed the city-state of KA-
DESH, taking the royal family of that city and its court as
prisoners. He exchanged gifts with Amenhotep III and
Akhenaten, growing powerful during their reigns. Sup-
piluliumas’s son, Prince ZANNANZA, was sent to Egypt to
become the consort of Queen ANKHESENAMON, the
widow of TUT’ANKHAMUN(r. 1333–1323 B.C.E.), but he
was slain at the borders. The Hittites began a series of
reprisal attacks as a result, and Suppiluliumas I died of a
plague brought to his capital by Egyptian prisoners of
war.Sutekh A very ancient deity of Egypt, called “the Lord
of Egypt.” His cult dates to the First Dynasty (2920–2770
B.C.E.), perhaps earlier, at OMBOS, near NAGADA. Sutekh
was originally depicted as a donkey-like creature but
evolved over the decades into a beautiful recumbent
canine. Considered a form of the god SET, Sutekh was
popular with RAMESSES II (r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.), who
beseeched the god for good weather during the visit of a
HITTITEdelegation to Egypt.Sweet Water Canal A manmade waterway started
probably the Middle Kingdom Period (2040–1640 B.C.E.).
The canal linked the Nile River at BUBASTISto the WADI
TIMULATand the BITTER LAKES. During the reign of NECHO I,
the Sweet Water Canal led eventually to the Red Sea.sycamore This was a sacred tree of Egypt, Ficus
sycomonus, viewed as a divine natural element in all
eras. The fig of the tree was relished and its shade was
prized. The souls of the dead also enjoyed the benefits
of the sycamore, coming to roost in the tree as birds.
Twin sycamores stood on the horizon of eternity, guard-
ing the sun. The mortuary complex of MONTUHOTEP II
(r. 2061–2010 B.C.E.) at DEIR EL-BAHRI, on the western
shore of the Nile in Thebes, was designed with a
sycamore grove. The sycamore grew at the edge of the
desert near MEMPHIS in the Early Dynastic Period
(2920–2575 B.C.E.) and was venerated as an abode of
the goddess HATHOR, “the Lady of the Sycamore.” Some
religious texts indicate a legend or myth had developed
concerning the tree. The tree was also involved in the
cults of RÉ, MUT, and ISIS.Syrene See ASWAN.Syrian Wars This is the name given to a series of con-
frontations and actual battles conducted by the Ptolemaic
rulers and the kings of the Seleucid Empire. The first war
involved PTOLEMY II PHILADELPHUS(r. 285–246 B.C.E.),
who conquered Phoenicia, Anatolia, and the Cyclades, all
Seleucid territories. The war took place between 274 and
271 B.C.E.