Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology

May6] SOCIETYOF BIBLICAL ARCHEOLOGY. [1890.

nineteenthdynastiesare very blind guidesas to the etymology of
one of the most ancientwordsof the language.

M. Maspero has lately discussedthe word whichhe calls Ropai't
or Repait, andhe argues throughoutas if this orthography was the

ancientone. "Dp.ROPaitapresavoirddsigne'les princes inde
flVJ
pendantsqui se partageaient la vallee du Nil avant Mini,"&c The
namewas not so written till considerably morethana thousand years
later. But supposing it had beenso written, whatwouldit signify?

" 0, 0 2r pait, paitou, un tres vieux mot quisert a

designerles hommes de meme origine,le clan, la tribu : le O r». ■

Ropaitest done a proprement parlerun chef de clan, un gardien
d'hommes,a l'e'poque historique,le prince heYeditaired'un norae."
Nowwhenceis all this informationderived? Who hasever seen
a text in which the Egyptian Paitsignifies a clan or tribe? The
Paitare undoubtedly humanbeings, but their placeis not upon
earthbut in the Tuat or Auqerta. Theyare men of the fast, just as
tne /H/ QW j) !» hamemit, are the men of the future, unborn
generationscirclinground the sun. If any one knowsof an Egyp
tiantext which provesthe Pait to be men stilllivinguponthe earth,
let him produceit.
TheErpa, whateverthe etymology of the word maybe, was
certainly a priest. The great nomarchs of the twelfth and later
dynastieshad thistitle,andmoreover,as M. Maspero rightlyob
serves," Les princesde Minieh dtaientpretresde Hor et de Pakhit
et les princes de Oun £taientchefsdu sacerdoce de Thot."
Butthe priestly officeof the Erpa is more ancientthanthe feudal
dignity.
The word is a designation of the god Seb from the earliest
times. If I could see my way clearto accept the derivation er +pd,
first proposedby Dr. K. Piehl, the sense wouldbe clear enough.
Seb(the personificationof the Earth) has in his keeping all those
whoare buried, all the past generations. Themythologicalenemies

of Osiris are in this waysaid(Todt., 19, 14) to be fli

t Xji ^> J n| *er sau ^> ' under the custody of Seb.'

* Recueil, I, p. 179.

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