these royal women served Egypt faithfully and held
leadership positions during the campaigns to oust the
HYKSOSfrom the land.
Building Text A document provided for every TEMPLE
in ancient Egypt, these texts were engraved in a promi-
nentplace and provided the name of the temple, the
nature of its cultic rituals, and the special significance of
its sanctuaries. Building Texts linked the temple to the
original time of creation, following the established tradi-
tions of the cults of the “PRIMEVAL MOUNDS.” The temple
thus became more than a material demonstration of the
spiritual truths. Because of the documentation added, the
shrine was part of the original “Appearance” of the god in
Egypt. Even the particular decorative aspects of the tem-
ple were included in the Building Text, as well as such
aspects related to a specific deity.
See also “APPEARING.”
bulls These animals were used as THEOPHANIESof cer-
tain Egyptian deities and as symbols of power and resur-
rection. The APIS bull, the most popular and longest
lasting bull cult, was called Hap. The MNEVISbull was
sacred to the god RÉ, and was called Merur. The Buchis
bull was sacred to MONTUand then to AMUN.
Bull hides were also worn by some chiefs of nomes
and by pharaohs, who chose to be buried in them. These
hides, called meska,were insignias of power as well as
rebirth signs. The early warrior kings, such as SCORPION
and NARMER(c. 3000 B.C.E.) were depicted as bulls in
commemorative wares. In some ceremonies the pharaohs
wore bull tails to designate their rank and might. Royal
titles sometimes referred to pharaohs and princes as “the
Bull of his mother.”
Bunefer(fl. 25th centuryB.C.E.)Royal woman of the
Fourth Dynasty
Alesser ranked consort of SHEPSESKHAF(r. 2472–2467
B.C.E.), Bunefer was not the mother of the heir. She was
buried in southern SAQQARA.
Burna-Buriash II(d. 1333 B.C.E.) Kassite king of Baby-
lon, ruling from 1359 B.C.E. until his death
He sent a communication to AMENHOTEP III (r.
1391–1353 B.C.E.) about protocol. The Egyptian delega-
tion sent by Amenhotep III to escort Burna-Buriash’s
daughter was deemed inadequate by the Babylonian
court, and the king complained. This Kassite princess
was to marry the pharaoh, and only five carriages were
included in the royal procession. Burna-Buriash did not
consider that number of carriages proper for a woman of
the Kassite royal family. The Kassites had founded the
Second Dynasty of Babylon.
Burullus This was one of the four great salt LAKESin
the Delta of Egypt.Busiris A central Delta town originally called Djedu,
the Per-Usiré, House of OSIRIS, Busiris was dedicated orig-
inally to the local vegetation god, ANDJETI. The Osirian
cult, however, became popular, and Osiris assumed the
titles and ceremonies of the elder deity. The god SOBEK
was also honored in the town. Busiris was originally
inhabited by shepherd tribes in the predynastic eras. The
town never became politically powerful but remained an
important shrine center for Osiris.Butehamun(fl. 10th century B.C.E.) Official of the
Twenty-first Dynasty (1070–945 B.C.E.)
His SARCOPHAGUSwas discovered in the necropolis of
THEBES, and it is known for its beautiful carvings. Bute-
hamun was a SCRIBEof the royal necropolis.Buto (the goddess) See WADJET.Buto (Tell el-Fara’un) Asite south of TANISin the
Delta, the capital of Lower Egypt in Predynastic times
called Pe, or Per-Wadjet, the House of WADJET, predy-
nastic tombs and some dating to the First Dynasty
(2900–2770 B.C.E.) were discovered in Buto, which
remained popular as the seat of power for the legendary
kings of Egypt’s Prehistoric Period (before 3000 B.C.E.).
In all major festivals these rulers were portrayed as
the SOULS OF PE in Lower Egypt, and as the SOULS
OF NEKHEN (HIERAKONPOLIS) of Upper Egypt. These
legendary kings greeted each new claimant to the
throne during the coronation rituals and were called
upon to serve as the guardians of the land in each new
generation.
Buto was divided into Pe and Dep. Three mounds
remain on the site, two from the town and one a ruined
temple. RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) donated various
objects as offerings, and SHOSHENQ V(r. 773–735 B.C.E.)
erected a stela there. The ruined mounds provide the
modern name of Buto, Tell el-Fara’un, “the Mound of the
Pharaohs.”
See also MUU DANCERS.Byblos (Kubna, Gubla) A city of Phoenicia, an
ancient seaport of modern Lebanon, that was allied to
Egypt throughout its history and was a vassal city-
state for a time. Egyptian records indicate that trade
between the two nations started as early as c. 2700
B.C.E.SNEFRU(r. 2575–2551 B.C.E.) had 40 ships built to
sail to Byblos to collect cedar logs. In the Twelfth
Dynasty (1991–1783 B.C.E.) the city became a depen-
dency of the pharaohs, and TRADEincreased. Byblos wasByblos 75