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Berea College, Berea, KY
Choose your career path in one of 33 major educational areas here and have little or no school debt at graduation!
Berea College offers a high-quality education to academically promising students with limited economic resources. Founded in 1855, Berea was the first interracial and coeducational college in the South. Today, Berea is consistently ranked as one of the leading private liberal arts colleges in the USA. Berea earns this recognition by focusing on rigorous academic programs coupled with a unique work program, allowing students to graduate with little or no student loan debt.
Berea College offers a high-quality education to academically promising students with limited economic resources. It awards every student a Tuition Promise Scholarship so that no Berea student ever pays tuition. Founded in 1855, Berea is the first interracial and coeducational college in the South and consistently ranks among the nation's leading liberal arts colleges.
No. 1 "Best Bang for the Buck" College, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020; No. 3 "Best National Liberal Arts College," 2020, Washington Monthly
Listed among the Best 386 Colleges in the U.S., Princeton Review, 2021 Guide
No. 1 "Best Value College," Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, 2019
No.1 "Best Value College" for lowest average graduating debt, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, 2019
Recognized as a Circle of Excellence Gold Chapter, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2020
Top producer of Gilman Scholars among colleges with enrollment under 5,000 students
Featured in the Guide to Green Colleges, Princeton Review, 2019 edition
Ranked No. 1 among top 30 Sustainable College-Run Farms, College Values Online, 2018
Nursing Program rated No. 1 Best Value in Kentucky, Nursing Explorer (website), 2019
Many factors distinguish Berea College, including:
No student pays tuition; each student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship worth almost $200,000 over four years.
Ninety-three percent of 2018-2019 graduates had either studied abroad, had a paid internship, engaged in research mentored by a faculty member, or taken a service-learning course.
One of only eight federally recognized Work Colleges in the United States.
Known nationally for its innovative and outstanding service-learning program.
Extensive collection of materials and non-commercial musical recordings documenting the history and culture of Southern Appalachia.
Outreach to Appalachia through federally funded programs and student-led service projects.
Multiple Compton, Fulbright, Truman, Udall and Watson fellowship winners.
The EDGE (Empowering a Dynamic Generation through Education) Program provides all first-year students with a laptop computer that is theirs to keep upon graduation.
Since its founding, Berea has welcomed students from "all nations and climes" to learn and work here.
1,652 undergraduates, representing 41 states, two U.S. territories and 76 countries other than the U.S.
More than 71 percent of students are from the Appalachian region and Kentucky.
The mean family income of a first-year Berea student is under $30,000.
In any given year, approximately 60 percent of first-year admitted students have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC—based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA) of $0. Forty-nine percent of 2018-2019 graduates had zero student loan debt. The median debt of all 2018-2019 graduates was $305, compared to an average nationwide debt of $29,200.
More than 40 percent of students identify as a person of color.
Nine percent of the student body are from countries other than the U.S.
Ninety-eight percent of domestic first-year students are eligible for federal Pell grants.
Berea's educational experience provides students the knowledge and skills to navigate the world successfully. The College provides a challenging yet supportive learning environment. Whether in the classroom, attending a Convocation, interning, studying abroad or linking work with academic goals, the educational experience is truly like no other. Students have experiential learning opportunities in and out of the classroom:
Students can earn Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 33 majors. There are also select professional programs, independent, student-designed majors and a dual-degree engineering program.
15 teacher education programs.
16 national and international honor societies.
More than 170 students study, intern or teach abroad each year, most with the generous support of education abroad scholarships or grants.
The College retains excellent faculty from prestigious graduate programs across the nation and the world.
Berea has 139 full-time faculty.
Over 93 percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their fields.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1.
Berea provides Tuition Promise Scholarships to each student through its endowment and the generous support of alumni, friends, organizations and others who believe that family incomes should not dictate students' outcomes.
Forty-nine percent of 2018-2019 graduates had zero student loan debt.
Gifts to the Berea Fund make the Tuition Promise Scholarship possible. Every dollar is reinvested in the College so that students receive a high-quality liberal arts education.
Berea must raise $4.6 million annually to close the gap that remains after earnings from the endowment and federal and state grants.
Support Berea's mission with a generous gift.
Annual Expenses
Because of Berea's Tuition Promise Scholarships, students pay no tuition and graduate with little or no debt. Since the cost of tuition is already covered, students are able to use grants, such as the Pell grant, to help pay for housing and meals. Berea College only offers loans to students as a last resort when they cannot pay their Expected Family Contribution (EFC) based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
As a federally recognized Work College, Berea doesn't just admit students; it hires them. Student education at Berea involves academic and work components, both deeply grounded in learning.
Students gain valuable workplace experience, earn money for books, food and other expenses, and their appreciation for the dignity and utility of work is enhanced.
In any given year, approximately 60 percent of currently enrolled students participate in the Berea Patrons program by making a gift to the College from their work earnings. Since the Patrons program began in 2014, students have contributed more than $175,000 to the College, beginning their philanthropic journeys.
Every student works 10-15 hours per week while carrying a full academic load.
Students choose work options in more than 100 college positions.
Every student receives not only an academic transcript but also a work transcript that lists their positions held, performance evaluations, and special distinctions.
Social/cultural activities augment the academic and work programs. Students also learn valuable leadership and interaction skills:
Convocations feature notable national and international speakers, scholars and performers.
A wellness program encourages healthy lifestyles.
Through NCAA Division III, students can participate in seven men's and seven women's sports.
More than 60 student clubs and organizations enhance student life.
Campus Centers
Curricular/co-curricular activities are based on Berea's Great Commitments mission statement. Centers ensure that each Commitment is carried out, enhancing the Berea experience for students.
The Black Cultural Center (BCC) provides services to support the recruitment, retention and graduation of Black students at Berea College.
The Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS) focuses on student service and community engagement. Students serve in volunteer programs, facilitate academic service-learning courses and work at local non-profit organizations and schools. CELTS also houses the Bonner Scholars Program.
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), fosters the personal, intellectual and professional growth of students, staff and instructors through writing resources, faculty development, teaching and learning assistant programs, and student-faculty partnerships.
The Francis and Louise Hutchins Center for International Education (CIE) fosters understanding of and appreciation for "all peoples of the earth," offering education abroad opportunities, international student/scholar services, faculty/curriculum development and annual campus programming.
The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center (LJAC) fosters the Great Commitment to Appalachia, developing service-oriented leaders and integrating educational programs; illuminating Appalachia, its people and cultures; and assisting communities, organizations and citizens to work toward the future they envision.
The Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center offers opportunities for worship, weekly prayer, interfaith dialogue and intellectual and spiritual engagement with the Christian faith through Convocations, lectures, workshops and spiritual retreats.
The Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education works closely with the Black Cultural Center and the African and African American Studies Department, supporting collaborations in interracial education, equality and justice and shared commitments to cultural understanding.
The Women's and Gender Non-Conforming Center offers an inclusive space for historically underrepresented individuals, including but not limited to women, LGBTQIA+ and sex and gender non-conforming students to find respite. The center also offers other programming centered around issues concerning gender and sexuality.
Special Institute
The bell hooks Institute documents the life and work of acclaimed intellectual, feminist theorist, cultural critic, artist and writer bell hooks. The Institute strives to promote the cause of ending domination through understanding the ways systems of exploitation and oppression intersect through critical thinking, teaching, events and conversation.
Berea produces a significant variety of leaders in fields such as education, science, healthcare, entertainment, law, business and government.
More than 19,000 alumni live in all 50 states as well as in the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and in 75 nations.
Distinguished alumni include: John Fenn, 2002 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry; G. Samuel Hurst, physicist and inventor of touch-screen technology; Juanita M. Kreps, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce; George Lester, developer of the catalytic converter; Jack Roush, automotive engineer, designer and owner of Roush Racing; and Carter G. Woodson, the father of black history.
Sustainable Campus Features
Many of Berea College's buildings and facilities demonstrate sustainable living and environmental stewardship, including:
Lincoln Hall was the first building in Kentucky to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
Deep Green Residence Hall was the "greenest" residence hall in the world when it opened in 2013. It earned LEED Platinum-Plus certification as well as Living Building Petal certification.
The historic Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant was Kentucky's first green hotel, attaining LEED Gold Certification.
Kentucky's first ecological village is a sustainable housing and learning complex at Berea College. Ecovillage consumes 75 percent less energy and water per capita than conventional housing.
The College uses sustainability best practices to manage its 9,000-plus acre forest. Over 1,200 acres of farmland (including the College garden and greenhouse) are used to grow local foods and provide learning opportunities in agriculture and natural resources.
Generous support from alumni and friends makes Berea's unique work and learning experience possible for promising young people from Appalachia and beyond.
A privately supported, nonsectarian institution, Berea College relies on gifts from alumni and friends and on income from the College's endowment.
Berea's endowment funds nearly 75 percent of the education and general operating budget. While other schools use tuition as a key revenue source, Berea relies on donors to make education possible for the students it serves.
Berea must raise $3,000 per student to provide the Tuition Promise Scholarship for every admitted student. This totals over $4.6 million dollars to be raised every year for the Berea Fund.
Gifts from nearly 11,000 donors (alumni, friends and organizations) enabled Berea to provide 1,660 students with a No-Tuition Promise today.
Berea offers varied opportunities for all interested students to create and perform including:
Music – 10 music ensembles. Presser Music Building offers state-of-the-art studios, classrooms, a recital hall, rehearsal rooms and practice rooms. Kentucky's largest 56-bell carillon, housed in Draper Tower, provides concerts.
Theatre – Berea College Theatre Laboratory mounts full-length and one-act plays directed by faculty, students and visiting artists. All performances take place in the Jelkyl Drama Center – either in the 250-seat McGaw Theatre or in the black box Musser Theatre. Ranked among the top 25 Bachelor of Arts theatre programs in the nation for 2018-2019.
Dance – Offers 25 classes in dance and a dance minor. Ten student dance groups perform a variety of styles.
Visual Art – Offers gallery space for year-round student and faculty art exhibits. Permanent art collection display includes the Dimitrie Berea Gallery, dedicated to the internationally recognized post-impressionist painter.
Service to the Appalachian Region
Berea provides outreach to the Appalachian region through federally funded programs and student-led service projects.
Brushy Fork Leadership Institute provides established and emerging leaders with opportunities to enhance their skills, gain innovation perspectives and create connections with others working on similar issues. A key principle of the Institute is to honor the voice and vision of local people, empowering leaders to transform their communities.
Grow Appalachia partners with communities in six states throughout central Appalachia to combat food insecurity and malnutrition by empowering families in Appalachia to create healthy, resilient and economically viable food systems. Funded by John Paul DeJoria, founder of Paul Mitchell company in 2010, Grow Appalachia has helped communities grow more an estimated 2.9 million pounds of food to date. Berea Kids Eat is an initiative of Grow Appalachia that launched in 2018 to provide year-round meals to combat food insecurity in children in Berea. When schools closed during the pandemic, Berea Kids Eat filled the gap, providing nearly 75,000 meals to families in the community.
Partners For Education houses nine federally funded programs (e.g., GEAR UP Appalachia, the Promise Neighborhood Initiative, and Upward Bound) designed to support Berea's commitment to serving students of Appalachia.
Students in the Sustainability and Environmental Studies program participate in the development of sustainable communities throughout Appalachia.
The City of Berea (population 15,000) is 35 miles south of Lexington, where Kentucky's Bluegrass region meets the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains. Kentucky's legislature designated Berea the "Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky." The College is located near the center of town and is easily accessible by car from I-75. Driving time from Louisville, Kentucky; Knoxville, Tennessee; or Cincinnati, Ohio is about two hours. Commercial airline service is available in Lexington.
Visitor Center & Shoppe
The COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily interrupted our public tour schedule.
For the latest information on tour availability and tour times, please see our guest website.
Admissions and Tours
Even though the global pandemic has altered the campus visit experience at colleges nationwide, we are pleased to offer both on-campus and virtual visit experiences. To learn about the wide variety of visit options, please go to the Admissions website or call the Campus Visit Reservation Center at 1-800-326-5948.
Unless otherwise noted, the statistics contained on this page are based on the Berea College Fact Book.
Appalachian Studies
Child & Family Studies
Health & Human Performance
Peace & Social Justice Studies
Sustainability & Environmental Studies
Technology and Applied Design
Women's & Gender Studies
Catalog & Student Handbook
Faculty and Staff Scholarly Work
Hutchins Library
Information Systems and Services
Office of Internships & Career Development
Convocations Program
Entrepreneurship for the Public Good
Labor Program
Emerging Scholars Program
Loyal Jones Appalachian Center
Black Cultural Center
Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education
Center for Excellence in Learning Through Service (CELTS)
Forestry Outreach Center
Francis and Louise Hutchins Center for International Education
Willis D. Weatherford, Jr. Campus Christian Center
101 Chestnut St. Berea, KY 40404
https://www.berea.edu/


You can export files data from your DataWeb web in several ways. You can export all of your data tables to an Access database, or export an individual data table to a comma-delimited text file. If you want to export a snapshot of your web at a particular time, or move it to a different domain, you can export it to a web archive, and import it into a new web.


One of the truly strangest films ever made, this delivered a hit to the careers of Robin Williams and Robert Altman that followed them for years. It's a musical featuring hash-soaked folk-rock tunes from Harry Nilsson, delivered by non-singers like Shelly Duvall, and it still manages to be catchy with songs as ridiculous as "Blow Me Down." A special MVP goes to "Mr Hand" himself, Ray Walston, as Poopdeck Pappy, one of the greatest characters in comics.


A variety of common causes may lead to jaw and ear pain, including temporomandibular joint disorders, middle ear infections, sinus infections, mastoiditis and Bell's palsy, according to Healthline. Teeth grinding, trigeminal neuralgia and acoustic neuroma may also cause ear and jaw pain.
Temporomandibular joints are delicate areas containing bones, tendons and muscles, states MedicineNet. Disorders and injuries to this structure often leads to pain in the jaw and ears, a popping sensation, and difficulty chewing.
When the area behind the eardrum becomes filled with fluids and swollen, a middle ear infection is diagnosed, explains Healthline. By the age of 3, 80 percent of children have a middle ear infection, usually experiencing pain in the ears and jaw. Most frequent in the winter and early spring, they often require no medical treatment. Symptoms of a sinus infection include inflammation of the nasal passage and sinuses, and ear and jaw pain. Approximately 31 million people in the United States face a sinus infection each year.
Mastoiditis tends to originate from untreated middle ear infections, notes Healthline. If an infection is left unattended to, it can spread to the sacs of the mastoid bone, at which point the mastoid bone may disintegrate. Among other symptoms, this results in jaw and ear pain.
What Are Some Methods of Ear Pain Relief for Children?
What Causes Red Blotches on the Skin?


This awakening lead Sharon to become a spokesperson for the Supreme Star Council, who have been the initiators and ambassadors for the many star systems in our universe.
They have been instrumental in our planetary evolution for eons of time.
By holding sacred space, Sharon receives messages, symbols, feelings and insights from the Council that help her clients access their deeper wisdom and advance conscious living.
Sharon also assists both Starseeds and Wanderers on this planet who wish to align their mind, heart and spirit to the Cosmic Intelligence.
Sharon has been serving the spiritual community as a Mystic for the last 20 years. She received her initial metaphysical training from renowned spiritual teacher, Carole Young. From there she expanded her spiritual awareness to the stars, seeking higher consciousness and connection to the Universal Intelligence and Divine. Through this shift, she tapped into her highest truth, not only as a Mystic, but as a Starseed.


With so many things to do in Lianyungang, it's important to choose a good Hotel.
7Days Inn Lianyungang Guannan Middle Renmin Road is located in Guannan. Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and cable channels. There is also an electric kettle.


Here you will find the most up-to-date documents and information about buying and building at Equis Lake. Information is updated regularly, so you can be sure it is current. Contact us if you need more help.
Equis Lake at The Vines is a premium community nestled within one of Perth's most sought after suburbs. With the town of Ellenbrook only minutes away, and the bigger centres of Midland and Joondalup just a short drive away, Equis Lake is within easy reach of everything you'll need.
It's also the escape that can offer respite from hustle and bustle of modern life, designed as an intimate community with just 250 homesites and an abundance of natural beauty.
Our design guidelines encourage new homeowners to adopt sustainable practices and ensure each house fits well with its neighbours and with the surrounding natural environment.
In keeping with the tranquil setting that sourrounds Equis lake, LWP has developed building guidelines that encourage design elements and finishes using earthy colours and materials such as timber and stone, as well as the use of local plants in garden designs.
For information on security services, shire rates or council policies please contact the City Of Swan.
Upon receipt of an approval from LWP, seek relevant approval from the City of Swan.
Fencing, Landscaping + Technology Connections.
Please contact the contractors listed below 6 WEEKS prior to having key hand over of your home.
The contractors will need an email version of your site plan, if you do not have a copy available, LWP can forward one to the contractor on your behalf.
After you have made contact with the relevant contractors, they will liaise with you directly in regards to installation time frames.
BOUNDARY FENCING - Treacy Fencing 9409 9022. This contractor will install your pinelap boundary fencing.
LANDSCAPING - Instant Gardens - 9303 9920. Instant Gardens will undertake your front yard landscaping package.
If your property is located on a corner and/or a cottage lot, please also make contact with the contractors listed below.
CORNER LOTS - Suburban Streetscapes - 0439 942 646. Suburban Streetscapes will install your brick masonry corner wall.
COTTAGE LOTS - Suburban Streetscapes - 0439 942 646. Suburban Streetscapes will install your brick masonry laneway wall.
Feature Fencing = 9272 9000. Feature Fencing will install the street portion of fencing dividing you and your neighbours front gardens.
Refere to your Land Sales Contract for the the applicable telecommunications provider.
TELSTRA FIBRE OPTIC CONNECTION - Telstra - 1800 008 994. Please contact to arrange connection from the street to your home. We suggest contacting them AT LEAST two weeks prior to moving in.
NBN - please contact your provider. These can also be found at https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/service-providers. Your service provider will coordinate a time for NBN Co equipment to be installed (if not done already) and your service activated. Further NBN information please call 1800 687 626.
The Bushfire Management Plan aims to achieve a reduction in the occurrence of uncontrolled bush fires and minimise potential impacts on life and property. This document quantifies the bush fire hazard and assessing the risk and documenting bush fire prevention requirements to provide ongoing protection to future residents.
Need some help? Speak to Josh!
Josh is the resident expert on Equis Lake, he can help you or put you in touch with the right person.


A proposed auto insurance plan, which would have had urban drivers' high auto insurance rates subsidized by a fee levied on policyholders throughout the state, has been withdrawn after being subject to litigation by trade groups and a large insurance carrier.
The legislation, submitted in 2007 by then-state insurance commissioner Stevn M. Goldman, was originally crafted to combat the highly fluctuating premium prices throughout the state.
Through the subsidization program, the Territorial Rating Equalization Exchange would have theoretically lowered the cost for motorists in areas with higher premiums.
New Jersey insurers, like those in all other states, use geography as a factor in calculating rates; drivers in areas with high accident frequencies are more likely to get into accidents, and insurers adjust their prices accordingly. This usually results in higher premiums for drivers in urban areas and lower premiums for drivers in rural and suburban territories.
New Jersey Banking and Insurance Commissioner Tom Considine, who was sworn into office earlier this year, didn't stand behind the the Territorial Rating Equalization Exchange.
New Jersey Manufacturers and a number of insurance groups in the state had filed to challenge the insurance commissioner's authority to implement such a subsidy program.
New Jersey drivers had the second-highest average auto insurance expenditures nationwide in 2007, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The average expenditure was estimated to be $1,104.


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Giacomo Giretto, born  in Imperia, Liguria is an Italian volleyball player, who earned a total number of 85 caps for the Men's National Team. He was on the side that won the title at the 1994 World Championships in Greece.

References
 Profile

1973 births
Living people
People from Imperia
Italian men's volleyball players
Universiade medalists in volleyball
Universiade bronze medalists for Italy
Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade
Sportspeople from the Province of Imperia

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Larson Electronics EPF-10P.3-NFK Explosion Proof Electric Inline Axial Fan Class 1, Division 1 and Class 2, Division 1 listed and safely and effectively redirects stale air from hazardous location areas. This fan is designed for portability, and can be linked in series when larger lengths of conductive duct are needed.
This explosion proof fan delivers high-performance airflow with a 1,390 overall CFM rating and 973 CFM when fitted with a 25ft. duct and a 90 degree bend. The 1/3 horsepower electric motor runs from standard 115 VAC single-phase at 60Hz and pulls 2.5 amps. Added safety features include a prewired explosion proof switch, dual grounding lugs on the steel housing, and 10 feet of cord fitted with flying leads. Meets United States and Canadian safety ratings for Class 1, Division 1, Groups C and D & Class II Division 1, Groups E, F and G.
This explosion proof fan is designed for portability and durability with a light weight compact body constructed of powder coated steel and a non-sparking aluminum blower wheel. Rubber coated base feet and an integral carry handle provide easy transport and secure placement when set down on a flat surface. This unit is available with either an 8 inch or 10 inch intake and exhaust flange, and includes a built in automatic reset thermal overload for added protection. Ambient temperature for the fan ranges from -20 degrees to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 973 cfm when a 25ft. duct and a 90 degree bend are present while in use.
• 72 dbA @ 3ft.


text:
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}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Consider: Richard and Ashley have two children. Richard dies, leaving everything to Ashley. Ashley then marries Tom, a widower with three children of his own. Ashley dies, leaving everything to Tom. When Tom dies, he leaves everything to his three kids. Result: Richard and Ashley's kids get nothing.
Consider: At Raul's death, he leaves $1 million to each of his children; Jackie, aged 22, Ginger, 25, and Harold, 27. The daughters seek professional advice, but within three years, Harold is broke and he begins to ask his sisters for money.
Each of these problems was caused by "I Love You" wills. Here are better solutions: Richard and Ashley should have left their money to a trust, not to each other. The trust could provide income for as long as the surviving spouse lives, but upon that second spouse's death, any unspent money would remain in the trust for the benefit of the children. This way, there's less risk that the assets would leave the family.
Raul could have left each child's inheritance to a trust, stipulating how and when money would be distributed to each child. This type of "spendthrift" trust is useful when leaving money to heirs who might not handle it responsibly.
These are just two examples that demonstrate why simple wills are usually not the best idea. If it's been a few years since you've reviewed your estate plan, talk with your financial or legal advisor today. Remember: When it comes to estate planning, you might not have a tomorrow.


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The 6 Best Substitutes For Ajwain
What can I use instead of Ajwain? Dried thyme is the best Ajwain substitute, offering similar flavors and health properties. In addition, marjoram and Mexican oregano have reasonably similar tastes to Ajwain seeds. However, depending on the recipe requirements, you can also use caraway, anise, or dried tarragon.
Ajwain, also known as carom seeds, is a popular Indian spice with a slightly sweet taste that you can enjoy raw or use in cooking. Ajwain offers an unmatched, authentic flavor and excellent anti-inflammatory properties. However, consider the following substitutes if you can't find Ajwain seeds.
The Best Ajwain Substitutes
Common dried thyme is the best replacement for Ajwain seeds, offering strikingly similar flavors and health properties.
Ajwain and dried thyme share a similar minty and woodsy note, and both herbs are jam-packed with thymol, an essential oil.
In addition, thyme contains carvacrol, giving it anti-inflammatory properties like Ajwain.
Use equal amounts of dried thyme when replacing Ajwain seeds in a recipe. However, ensure you use common thyme, as there are numerous variations.
Marjoram is another well-known substitute for Ajwain due to its similar flavor profile. However, marjoram lacks the bitter taste and tastes slightly sweeter.
If you use marjoram as an Ajwain substitute, note that it has a mild flavor and does not hold up with longer cooking times. In addition, marjoram isn't ideal for curries as other flavors quickly overpower it.
Use equal amounts of marjoram when replacing Ajwain in your recipe; you can increase the amount if necessary.
In addition, consider making a test batch with your baked goods to identify the ideal amount of marjoram to use.
Mexican oregano is a decent substitute for Ajwain seeds, offering a similar aroma, slightly sweet taste, and anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Mexican oregano is a slight misnomer. Mediterranean oregano, the "true oregano," is part of the mint family, whereas Mexican oregano belongs to the verbena family.
Mexican oregano lends a bright flavor with citrus, floral notes, and a hint of anise.
You can find Mexican oregano dried or fresh.
If you're using fresh leaves, a tablespoon is the equivalent of one teaspoon dried Mexican oregano.
Mexican oregano is quite overpowering, so limit Mexican oregano to half the amount when substituting it for Ajwain in recipes.
You can use both whole and ground caraway seeds to replace Ajwain seeds. Caraway seeds also offer anti-inflammatory properties similar to Ajwain.
Although referred to as seeds, caraway seeds are dried fruit. Nevertheless, caraway seeds impart a distinctive earthy flavor and aroma with subtle anise, citrus, pepper, and licorice notes.
Use a 1:1 ratio when substituting caraway seeds for Ajwain seeds. However, ground caraway is more potent, so use ¾ teaspoon of ground caraway for every teaspoon in Ajwain.
You can also utilize anise seeds as an Ajwain substitute. Anise lends a similar but more potent taste to dishes.
Anise boasts a sweet, mildly spicy, and aromatic licorice flavor. The seeds are
You can use anise in sweet and savory dishes. However, use fewer anise seeds to replicate the flavors closely when replacing Ajwain.
Dried Tarragon
Dried tarragon is a common substitute for dried thyme, making it a suitable replacement for Ajwain seeds.
However, tarragon has pungent licorice or anise taste that might only work in some recipes that require Ajwain seeds.
Tarragon is a highly aromatic leafy green herb with a subtle licorice flavor. This culinary herb is sold fresh and dried year-round.
You can use a 1:1 ratio when substituting dried tarragon with Ajwain seeds if you prefer using fresh tarragon leaves, double the amount.
https://americasrestaurant.com/ajwain-substitutes/
https://thespiceguide.com/what-are-the-best-ajwain-seeds-substitutes-in-cooking/
The 6 Best Substitutes For Akkawi Cheese

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tag: Egypt
1743: publication of the visit of Charles Perry to Antinoupolis
Posted on November 4, 2016 by Roger Pearse
The English traveller Charles Perry visited Antinoupolis in the early 18th century, although I have not been able to see in his book the exact year without reading the whole thing through. His account was published in 1743 as A view of the Levant: particularly of Constantinople, Syria, Egypt and Greece (London: Woodward & co, 1743; online here; better copy with plates at UCL here). His account of Insine, or Antinoupolis, is on p.328. There is a plate also, at the end of the volume (although missing, I notice, in many Google copies), which has two items from Insine, but mostly the pyramid of Giza (which is what the diagram in the middle relates to). I've chopped off the bottom. Click to enlarge.
The choice of images is pretty clearly derived from Lucas; Perry tells us that the "triumphal arch" had been damaged since Lucas, but his image does not show this.
His dependence on the words of Father Sicard appears at one or two points. But let's hear him. Note that I have slightly modernised the spelling, and capitalisation.
…we prevail'd on him[the boat captain, who was afraid of bandits], though not without much difficulty, to fall down to Insine, which is about four miles lower, on the east of the river, to visit the ruins and remaining antiquities of that once famous city. Indeed we had made very strict inquiry after it, with design to visit it in our way from Minio to Meloue, being inform'd it was not above three leagues below the latter; but notwithstanding we carry'd a pilot with us extraordinary, who had once been as far as the third cataract, and had many times been as far as Asoan with his own bark, and pretended to know every creek and corner of the Nile so far, yet he could give us no manner of intelligence where Insine was. But here lay the mistake, or the cause of our difficulty – though Insine was the ancient name of the city, and is the name given it by all writers, as well modern as ancient, yet the people of the Country call it Sheik Abadie from a Turkish saint that lies buried there. Whenever we talk'd to the Pilot of Insine, he imagin'd, and consequently would persuade us we meant Esne, which is another village about 150 leagues higher, lying on the west of the Nile, 35 leagues below the cataract of Asoan.
The extent of the present ruins of Insine (which we judge to be near four miles in circuit) serve to shew that of the ancient city, as the great Number of porphyry, and other pillars, do to shew its ancient splendor and magnificence.
A certain French Author (a reverend father) says, there are no less than fourteen pillars of red granite yet standing and whole, besides many others broken. But though the travellers of that nation seldom undervalue or under-rate the marvels they see and recite, yet this gentleman has been very short in this particular, though he has made amends for it in others; for we told so many pillars, that the account grew too perplex'd and heavy for our memory; and, at least, we can aver they far exceed the number by him given. Many of these fine pillars are disposed in lines, in a regular good order, before the Triumphal Arch of Marcus Aurelius, as 'tis called, and have doubtless been parts of some very superb edifice: But there are several others of them, further to the left-hand, which now serve as parts of, or props to miserable Arab houses, or rather huts.
The edifices, or parts of edifices yet extant, are the Triumphal Arch of Marcus Aurelius afore-mentioned, the Porta Ferrea, and the palace called Abulkerun. We compar'd the two former with Lucas's draughts of them, and found them to agree very exactly, which we shall therefore exhibit for the curious reader to see. Of these the Triumphal Arch is the most considerable, being yet perfect and entire, as represented by Lucas; except only that since the time when he took a draught of it, the front is broken, just under the angle, which discovers, that the stone work, which terminates in a triangle, was sustained by an arch of brick-work.
Of the Triumphal Arch of Marcus Aurelius.
This edifice is seventeen yards in front, and half that sum in flank: its height is about fifty-six feet: the grand arch is five yards and an half wide, and eight yards high: Each of the small arches is two yards broad, and six yards and an half high. Besides those three arches, which pass from side to side, there is another which runs from end to end, and intersects all the other arches at right angles. But this Lucas does not mention in his reading, nor does he give it any appearance in his draught, which might have been done by drawing the face a little obliquely, or sideways. This edifice has in its front four pillars, made of square stones, with beautiful capitals, all which are very well express'd by Lucas. A few paces distant from this portico, on the left side of it, are three noble pillars of porphyry, placed regularly in a line. When we see and consider so many fine pillars, some in front, and others in flank of this portico, which seem to have been appendages to it, we are at a loss to guess what this fabric may formerly have been, and to what use and purpose designed.
For though 'tis commonly called the Triumphal Arch of Marcus Aurelius, yet it may have preceded his era many centuries, and have had another name, use, and design originally. However, we neither do, nor can suppose this city, or any of its remains were coeval with the ancient Egyptians; because throughout all its ruins we discover neither hieroglyphics, nor any of their divinities in relief; which are look'd upon as the only undoubted arguments and testimonies, that things were of their time, because none of their works (whether temples, statues, or grots) are without them.
Of what they call the Porta Ferreat there remains no more, at present, than two large pillars, with beautiful capitals, which are very well taken off by Lucas.
The palace called Abul Kerun, or the Horn'd Building, is now so far gone to ruin, as to admit of no good description. We find lying on the ground, before this palace, two capitals of pillars, whose angles are extravagantly large and prominent; and from thence, as 'tis said, the palace was called the Horn'd Building.
We found the remains of another public edifice, which we could learn no name for: it appears in front much like the Triumphal Arch above-describ'd, having one large arch in the middle, with a small one on each side, but 'tis not above seven feet thick. It had four noble large pillars, with beautiful capitals standing before it, at four yards distance, and as many behind it. These latter are partly standing and entire, but the former are all broken, and lying on the ground. At the distance of about 500 paces from thence, to the north-east, we find one pillar yet standing and entire: Its shaft consists of five stones, each seven feet high. The capital, and lower stone of the shaft, are each adorn'd with a very noble beautiful foliage. The pedestal is composed of several stones, is about four yards high, and has a Greek inscription on it, which is so much effaced by the injuries of time, that we could not make it out. 'Tis evident that there were formerly four of these pillars, disposed in form of a square; for there is the pedestal of another yet standing, with an inscription on it, which agrees, far as we could read it, with the other: there are likewise three capitals, besides many other fragments of the pillars, lying upon the ground. What assures us, that they were disposed in form of a square, is the position of the pedestal, now standing, with regard to the entire column ; for we found them bearing thus, to one another.
The Square c represents the situation of the entire Pillar, and d that of the pedestal, yet standing; so that, without doubt, a and b were the situation of the other two. But what may serve as a further proof of the ancient splendor and magnificence of this city, there are now extant two rows of marble pillars, or at least their bases in the earth; which run in right and parallel lines, at about twelve paces distance from each other, for about a mile; and those were of no other use or design, than to support a range of large balconies, which ran along on each side of the principal street; so that People might walk secure from the inclemencies and injuries of weather, whether of heat or rain. This principal street was cut in its middle, at right angles, by another street of equal form, bigness, and beauty, adorn'd in like manner with large balconies, supported with marble pillars. These two streets (according to ancient history, and what we may conclude from its present ruins) constituted the major part of the city; and the four pillars stood in that part where the streets crossed each other. Besides what we have made particular mention of, we found, as we rang'd over the ruins, a great many other stately pillars, yet on foot and entire. Without the limits of the present ruins, and consequently without those of the ancient city, doubtless, is a place about half a mile long, but not above sixty paces broad, which they now call the Meidan. This doubtless was the Circus, where they celebrated the Sports instituted by the Emperor Adrian, in Honour of his Favourite Antinous, after his Death, (being drowned, as 'tis commonly thought, in the River Nile near that City) for which he was inconsolable. History informs us, that the Emperor Adrian had (to his eternal ignominy) a most extravagant and unnatural passion for that youth; and therefore he omitted nothing that might serve to perpetuate his Memory. He called this City Antinopolis, in honour to him: He dedicated temples to him, in which he established oracles; and caused his deification to be celebrated with great pomp and solemnity. But before we finish our observation on this city, we must observe, that besides the two capital streets above-mentioned, there were several other streets, though of less extent and bigness, which were laid out with the utmost order and exactness, and ran in right and parallel lines: And these likewise had their ranges of balconies before the houses, sustain'd by fine marble pillars, as the others; so that the whole city seemed to be one continued peristylion. The ruins of this city are indeed very great, and far exceed any others that we found in all Upper Egypt, But, O tempora! O Mores! its ancient grandeur, glory, and splendor, are now reduced to a poor miserable village, consisting only of a few huts made of dirt; but their materials, however, are very well proportioned to their height, as they are both emblems of great humility, or rather poverty.
All places of the Turkish Dominions, which we have as yet visited, are very well stock'd with mosques, for their public worship; but no other Part is in any Proportion so full of them as Egypt, and especially Cairo; in which, according to the report of the people, there are no less than 8000, with minarets, besides a great many others: And when one sees what an infinite number of fine pillars, and other precious remains of antiquity are employ'd in them, (which they place without any beauty, order, or symmetry, mixing pillars of different orders, materials, and magnitudes promiscuously) 'tis astonishing to think where they found them. But whoever has seen what Egypt, especially the upper part of it, is, and well considers what it has been, will necessarily conclude, that there must have been an inexhaustible fund of them.
We return'd on board our Vessel that evening, and the next morning set forward under a fair, but gentle gale. In about an hour and half we went ashore again, near a Coptic Convent, call'd Abuhennis, which is situate on the same side of the Nile, about two or three Miles above Insine. ….
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, EgyptLeave a Comment on 1743: publication of the visit of Charles Perry to Antinoupolis
Drawing the ruins of Antinoupolis in 1778, while pursued by bandits! The account of C. S. Sonnini de Manoncourt.
Travelling in Egypt could be dangerous, as one French visitor discovered. The natives did not always like to see people drawing the ruins!
Our next early visitor to Antinoupolis was C.S. Sonnini de Manoncourt, a French Engineer sent out by the ancien regime in France in 1777, but published in "year 7" of the French Revolution, i.e. 1799.[1] Thankfully an English translation exists.[2]
Only one illustration is given, of a column next to a gatehouse; the artist had to run for it before he had finished. This, rather than the strange image given by Lucas, is the correct appearance of these square pillars.
A pillar of Antinoe. C. S. Sonnini de Manoncourt, vol. 3, 1807.
In chapter 40, we read this account of his visit to Antinoupolis, beginning on p.40. The footnotes are Sonnini's. The sneery tone towards Christians, and especially to monks, is perhaps a reflection of the bigotry of the revolutionary government, and the malice and energy of its informers, rather than a personal opinion.
The same gusts of north wind continued to pursue us still on the 4th [of April, 1778], and carried us with a dangerous velocity to Scheick Abade, a resort of pirates, to the east of the Nile. Immense ruins, and a long succession of rubbish, announce that a great city existed there in ancient times. This was the fruit of a disgraceful passion, which poorly disguised the appearance of gratitude affected by Adrian in founding it. It is well known to what a degree this prince, renowned for his political and warlike talents, was, at the same time; despicable, on account of his passion for Antinous, the perfection of whose form is evinced by one of the most beautiful statues of antiquity, still in preservation. Adrian, during the time that he was in Egypt with his court and army, consulted the soothsayers, whose response struck his imagination. The oracle declared that the greatest danger threatened him, unless a person dear to him, and by whom likewise he was beloved, should sacrifice himself for his preservation; and the dastardly Emperor had the cruelty to accept of the sacrifice. The beautiful and generous Antinous precipitated himself from the summit of a rock into the Nile; and the vile despot thought to efface his disgrace and his ingratitude, by building, in honour of his favourite, whom he looked upon also as his deliverer, a city which, under the name of Antinoë, perpetuated his barbarous credulity and his criminal affection. He embellished it with all that art can imagine the most precious. The statues of Antinous were there considered as sacred representations; he built temples for him; he instituted games and sacrifices, and he himself regulated the worship by which he was to be venerated.
Antinoë had filled the place of the ancient Egyptian city of Abidus, in which a divinity who bore the name of Busa was worshipped. This god delivered oracles, and his. celebrity long supported itself. The ancient city of Abidus and that of Antinoë, are now equally ruinous. What remains of this last excites regret for its destruction. You behold not in these ruins the unwieldy and gigantic monuments, those enormous masses of stone, which the Egyptians raised rather to astonish than to charm the eye. Everything there was in just proportion, all possessed those delicate contours, and those elegant forms of the beautiful architecture of the Greeks and of the Romans.
My reis made many difficulties about approaching the shore which covers the ruins of Antinoë. It is peopled by the worst tribe of Egyptians, and the most determined robbers. They attacked Mr. Bruce, when, on crossing the Said, he intended to stop at this place.*[3] I observed all the precautions which prudence suggested, and I landed with my draughtsman. The extensive site, strewed with the most beautiful fragments, overwhelmed me with astonishment and admiration. It must have occupied a considerable time to travel over them all. The night approached, and it was impossible either to pass it on that dangerous coast, or, to stray very far from the boat.
The ferocious men, who dwell around the ruins of the city of Adrian, employ themselves in pulling down those parts of the edifices which still remained, and in glutting their savage disposition by the habitual commission of destruction. In the time of Vansleb*[4], and of Paul Lucas, there were many more pieces of architecture existing entire, than I myself beheld. The greater part of the buildings were constructed of large bricks, and their red colour was still in perfect preservation. That which appeared to me the most remarkable, was a triumphal arch, or magnificent gateway, supported by fluted pillars. The front is fifty feet in length. A very bad representation of this is to be seen in the Travels of Paul Lucas +[5]. The capitals of the pillars in particular are very badly represented. A more clear idea of it may be formed from plate XXVIII. It is evident that the intention was to have taken a complete delineation of this triumphal arch, which, to all appearance, served as the gate of the city; but while the designer was employed in this work, and I, on my part, was examining some other portions of the ruins, the noise of a gun fired off by one of our companions, who was placed as a sentinel, gave us notice of the approach of a gang of robbers. We had only time to escape to the boat, which was immediately pushed off shore, and we got clear, with only the menaces and bullying of those barbarians.
You observe also, on each side of the gate, holes cut for the hinges which sustained the folding-doors. The country people say that these doors are at Cairo, and that they were transported thither by a devil. Paul Lucas saw them there covered with plates of iron, and serving to close up an arch which is near the palace of the grand provost*[6], without doubt the Ouali, the officer who at Cairo is intrusted with the affairs of the police. A considerable number of pillars were still standing at the other extremity of the city of Antinoë, towards the mountains. All the remainder presents nothing but a confused mass of pieces of architecture, broken and overthrown.
On the opposite side of the mountain, which terminates, towards the west, the ancient enclosure of Antinoë, you distinguish a considerable number of openings dug in the rock. These caverns were undoubtedly places of sepulture, the catacombs. There are places such as these all over Thebais, principally in the environs of great cities, along those two chains of mountains with which the Nile is bordered, and sometimes straitened. The inhabitants, too grossly ignorant to comprehend those means with which the arts supplied their ancestors, ascribe these excavations to demons. Superstition produces similar effects upon the most opposite characters; for the missionary Vansleb appeared to agree in opinion with the then natives of Egypt; it seemed equally impossible to him that human beings could dig such cavities: but he subjoins to his opinion this pious mollification, that the devils were forced to become such good workmen by means of exorcisms*[7]. On the other band, the Christian legend beholds in that immense number of grottoes in the mountains of Thebais only the solitary retreats of holy hermits, whose indolence was but poorly disguised under the mask of contemplation; a fine-sounding word, but totally devoid of meaning, when it is applied to the life led by beings of this sort.
The mosque of the village in the neighbourhood of Antinoë, and whose aspect and population form so striking a contrast with the superb buildings and the urbanity of the ancient city built by Adrian, contains the tomb and the relics of a saint who has given to this place his name of Sheick Abade. But, what is truly diverting, while the Mahometans regard this saint as a zealous partizan of the Alcoran, the Christians claim and venerate him as one of their bishops who received the mournful honours of martyrdom at Insine*[8]. But enough has been said respecting those absurd chimeras, of which the men of all ages and of all nations have been the may-game.
We quitted the shores, formerly flourishing, but now desolate, of the city of Antinous. We came to anchor opposite to Mellavoui, three leagues from Scheick Abade. Mellavoui is a little city, of a very beautiful appearance, situated at about half a league from the western banks of the Nile. ….
[1]SONNINI DE MANONCOURT, Charles Nicolas Sigisbert. Voyage dans la Haute et Basse Égypte… Collection de Planches, Paris, F. Buisson, An VII [=1799]. Plate XXVIII, to be inserted in Tome III, p.48. See a copy of this image here.↩
[2]C. S. Sonnini, Travels in Upper and Lower Egypt, undertaken by order of the old government of France, translated by Henry Hunter, London (1807), vol.2. Online at Heidelberg here. The picture is the frontespiece.↩
[3]* Travels to the Sources of the Nile.↩
[4]* Nouvelle Relation d'Egypte, page 386 et suiv.↩
[5]+ Voyage fait en 1714, tome ii.↩
[6]* Nouvelle Relation d'Egypte, page 384.↩
[8]* Vansleb, Nouv. Relation d'Egypte, p. 387.↩
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, Egypt3 Comments on Drawing the ruins of Antinoupolis in 1778, while pursued by bandits! The account of C. S. Sonnini de Manoncourt.
The 1714 visit of Paul Lucas to Antinoupolis
Posted on November 4, 2016 November 4, 2016 by Roger Pearse
Another early visitor to the ruins of Antinoupolis in Egypt, made by order of Louis XIV, no less, was the French knight Paul Lucas (1664-1737). His rather derivative account appears in his Voyage Du Sieur Paul Lucas, Fait En M.DCCXIV, &c. Par Ordre De Louis XIV. Dans La Turquie, L'Asie, Sourie, Palestine, Haute Et Basse Egypte, &c Ou l'on trouvera des Remarques très-curieuses, comparées à ce qu'ont dit les Anciens dur le Labyrinthe d'Egypte, volume 2 (1720). Large sections are copied or condensed from Sicard, which makes one wonder how much Lucas really saw.
I was able to locate copies of this volume online without difficulty.[1] But as with the letter of Father Sicard, these copies, one and all, were scanned with the illustration folded over! Fortunately I was able to find a copy of the illustration online here, which is as follows (click on the picture for full size):
The triumphal arch at Insine [Antinoupolis] / The gate of Iron.
On p.333, in the catalogue, we find this plate described as follows, however "The plan and elevation of the triumphal arch at Insine or Antinoupolis, with the design of two large pillars, of an unusual order of architecture, which are in the same town." This no doubt is the real caption of the plate.
The drawing of the pillars is very bad, as Sonnini de Manoncourt notes in his account (with better illustration) from 1778.
Lucas gives the following account of his visit, starting on p.59. As before I have turned this into English with the aid of Google Translate.
In the evening we reached the town of Insîné, which is 50 or 55 leagues from Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, where valuable remains of royal magnificence can still be seen today. This town is in fact the same as Antinopolis, which the Emperor Hadrian built in honor of the youth Antinous. It is known that this emperor had a mad passion for this favorite, and that this led him, after he had lost him, into outrageous extravagances. The historians do not agree on the circumstances of his death. Some say he died of illness; others that he immolated himself as a sacrifice, where impiety and magic were also employed, for the recovery of the health of the Emperor; still others, and this is the most general opinion received, say that he drowned in the Nile, on which he was sailing with his master. This event happened in the year 132 of Jesus Christ. The grief that Hadrian had at the loss of this young man, whom some scholars believe to have been of noble birth, was extreme and went to unexampled excess. He forgot nothing to make his memory immortal: he built on the Nile a city, magnificent through the various ornaments with which he embellished it, and gave it the name of this favorite. He dedicated Temples to him, and he instituted games in his honour; he then celebrated with lavish pomp, the ceremonies of his apotheosis; and so that nothing might be wanting to the glory of this new deity, he established in these temples an Oracle, whose answers he composed himself. These are the ruins of this city, now called Insiné, which I will describe.
This city was divided by two great streets, about 45 feet wide and 850 yards long, and they ended in four large gates. From the two streets, which formed a kind of cross, several other transverse streets were drawn, which were less wide; but of an equal length, all perfectly straight; as may still be seen from some remains, along the whole length of these streets there were two galleries, five or six feet wide, which were supported on one side by houses and on the other on finely-worked stone columns, so that this city was a continuous peristyle, where people on foot were always covered from the heat of the sun and from other injuries of the air. Many of these columns can still be seen, overthrown, in all districts of the city, and also some remains of the arcades. There is debris everywhere, so that one is obliged today to walk in the middle of the streets. I noticed outside of the city a place now called the Meidan; it's a place about eight hundred yards long, and only 70 wide. It was probably the circus, where they celebrated the games established by the Emperor in honor of Antinous. Its length and shape marked the course of the horses and chariots which were part of the celebration of these festivals. This place is surrounded by very large stones, and I have seen up to eight rows of them on top of each other, which formed perhaps a kind of amphitheater where were the boxes for the spectators. Now let's go back to the city, where everything is now ruined, except for three or four buildings, and some pillars which are still standing; what is today called the Iron Gate, and of which the folding doors, covered with plates of that metal, were taken to Cairo to be used to close an arch which is near to the palace of the Grand Provost, where I saw them. There is nothing complete except for two pillars with their capitals, such as may be seen in the illustration that I give here. They are forty feet high, without counting the part which is buried in the earth, and eighteen feet wide. They are square, and there is fifty feet distance from one to the other. Two former palaces can still be seen, one of which was called Abu Elquerou, the "father of the horns", because of its sharp edges, cornices & capitals; and the other Melab-Elbenat; that is to say, the pleasure house of the princesses. I saw them examined them both. I measured the columns of the Corinthian order, which are grooved from their base to the middle, and joined beyond that to the capital. These columns are of a beautiful white stone that seems to have been drawn from the neighboring mountains, where we still find similar stone today; they are fourteen to fifteen feet in circumference, and about 40 feet high; the capitals are made of two parts, and are each seven feet and a half in diameter.
I cannot agree that these two buildings were the gates of the city; because what purpose would this many porphyry and granite columns have served, which are around the area, and of which there are still about twenty which are on their bases? I believe, without hesitation, that they were magnificent palaces, of which today only the porticos, or main entrances, remain; the names that they are given today confirm this conjecture.
I discovered a third of them at some distance beyond, which I call the triumphal arch of Insiné, and of which I give here an illustration. This is a large portico, where there are three arched openings, each of which has an upper window proportionate to its size, and there is a staircase to ascend within the wall. There is in this portico four beautiful square columns, all the stones united with their capitals, and above the window which is over the middle door, there is a beautiful stone entablature which makes the top of the building a triangle. The scale which I give for this purpose, shows all the dimensions exactly. Leaving by the iron gate, I was led by an Arab to a tomb believed to be that of a companion of Mohammed named Abon, and which is under a very beautiful vault. There are around twelve others, which the Arabs say are the twelve main friends of this false prophet, or rather his main advisers, as appears by the name of Sanbey which is given to them.
The town of Insiné is now only a wretched Village, whose houses, built mostly of earth and mud, are backed and supported by these beautiful columns of porphyry and granite, which I mentioned. This hamlet can only be recommended today by a very attractive mosque, which I am assured was once a Christian Church; it is built of very large stones and decorated inside with several columns that were transported from the city, and which are placed in an extremely odd order. It is the custom of the Turks throughout the Levant to take the most valuable pieces of antiquity for their mosques, which they employ without genius and without design, confusedly mixing different kinds of architecture, and large columns with small. The chief of the mosque came to receive us with great politeness, and showed us the apartments that once apparently served to accommodate the monks, and which are used today by the Turkish pilgrims that devotion attracts to this place, which is of great veneration among them, because of a Sheik who is buried there, and whom they treat like a saint, without knowing, however, if he was of their religion. I was assured that he had once been the Bishop of Insiné; his name was Ammona or Abona Abede: the word "Abona" means a monk: adding that he had shed his blood to uphold the faith of Jesus Christ; his tomb, which is in a chapel of the mosque, is shown. This Sheikh gave his name to the village which is among the ruins of Insiné, and that is now named Sheikh Abade.
After visiting this mosque, I went to a place where several beautiful columns can be seen, of which there is one that is still standing with its capital, which is a beautiful white marble stone that once supported a statue; it was undoubtedly of Alexander Severus who is mentioned in the inscription. The pedestal of this column is of eight courses of stone, and about thirteen feet high; the column is four feet in diameter, and its foot is of five parts. The first, which is the the nearest to the pedestal, is three and a half feet in height, and is surrounded by foliage that gives it much grace. The other four parts were each seven feet tall. On the pedestal was the inscription which will be found at the end of this book. As it is much mutilated, I had great difficulty to copy it; the curious may compare it with that of Father Siccard, and I beg the reader to read the scholarly reflections that he has made on the subject. Near this column of Alexander Severus may be seen three others which are overturned, and whose inscriptions are now so effaced that it is impossible to read them; one pedestal may still be seen which is not at all destroyed.
The place where these four columns were was a square, or rather a crossroads, where met the two large streets crossing the city from one end to the other, and which was large enough to receive the ornaments which I have just mentioned. That is all that now remains of a city once so beautiful, that the Emperor Hadrian built it to perpetuate the memory of a mad passion, which will forever tarnish his glory. Having spent much of the day in this place, and suffered much from the excessive heat that day, I went up on to a little eminence, formed by a heap of ruins, from where all these ruins can be viewed, and it seemed to me that this city must indeed have been four or five miles round. When I left Insiné, the Arabs who were with me, told me that it was Muhammad himself who had once made himself master of this city; but that it revolted as soon as he left, which angered the conquering legislator so much, that he sent his lieutenants, with orders to destroy it, and to put the inhabitants to the sword, and that since that time it has been deserted. Because the few Arabs who live there at present count for nothing, who live under the obedience of Sheikh of the mosque, which is called Sheik Abade, and gives its name to the area, and which is exempt from paying any tribute to the Sultan; but all this is simply a fable which marks the profound ignorance in which the Arabs live; Muhammad never carried his arms into Egypt and did not leave Arabia. That the same people told me that the city was once called Insiné is more likely, and we cannot doubt that the name is a corruption of that of Antinous, whose name the city which I just visited bore. All the ancients agree with Ptolemy and the Antonine Itinerary, that it was in the district of Upper Egypt, on the eastern bank of the Nile, and that it gives rise to the adjective Antinopolite: but I cannot share the feeling of those who say that the Emperor did but restore an ancient city that was in that place, and named it after his favorite: because as I have just described it, it appears that it was built anew, as we learn from Xiphilinus, despite what Casaubon says, who claims that the city was in that place was previously called Besa, and was dedicated to the deity of that name.
After I had carefully examined the antiques of Insiné and its surroundings, I went to re-embark, and after four hours I reached Meloüé, a very pretty town, where there are a large number of Coptic Christians…
The reader may wonder where is the fresh transcription of the inscription on the column of Alexander Severus, to which Lucas alludes. Well may we wonder: for it is not to be found in the text as printed. There are a couple of short inscriptions on p.131 and 136, from Dendera; but I was unable to locate any transcription of that at Antinoupolis, either at the end of "book 5" or of the volume itself. Oh well.
[1]Located via Europeana.eu, and I made use of the Bavarian State Library copy here.↩
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Sicard's illustrations of Antinoupolis
My last post gave an account of a visit to Antinoupolis in Egypt in 1715. But without the illustrations! Well, I have spent several days now, attempting to locate online a copy of Father Sicard's Letter to the Count of Toulouse which had undamaged illustrations in it. Not all copies were bound with illustrations, I note.
The text of the letter is printed in the Lettres édifiantes et curieuses series, which is an utter mess of original volumes of letters, jumbled all anyhow, plus reprints in different orders, etc etc. Somebody ought to draw up a table of this series in its various versions. It is NOT fun, attempting to locate something.
Today, using the Europeana portal, I had a lucky break, and discovered the existence of a separate volume of plates for the series! A copy is held at Gallica here. It indicates the volume and the page numbers.
So, finally, here are Father Sicard's three illustrations!
South gate of Antinoe
West gate of Antinoe
and finally the column of Alexander Severus:
Column of Alexander Severus, in the ruins of Antinoe, 50 leagues south of Cairo. 1715.
It's wonderful to have all this stuff online, but there is still plenty for researchers to do, in simply locating it all!
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, Egypt, Sicard3 Comments on Sicard's illustrations of Antinoupolis
A visit in 1716 to Antinoupolis by Fr Claude Sicard, SJ
One of the earliest explorers of Egypt was the Jesuit missionary Claude Sicard. His 1715 journey is recounted in a letter which he wrote to the Count of Toulouse on 1st June 1716, which was printed as "Lettre d'un missionaire en Egypte a S.A.S. Mgr le Comte de Toulouse", in a collection of Jesuit missionary letters, Nouveaux mémoires des missions de la Compagnie de Jésus dans le Levant, vol. 2, 1717 (online here).[1] There are numerous reprints in various formats under various titles.[2]
The "letter" also includes three images, two of which, sadly, are not reproduced properly in any online copy that I could find. Invariably the scanners left the plates folded over, which is very strange. The third image I append to this post.
[Update: the three illustrations I found later and posted here.]
His account of Antinoupolis is as follows.[3] The plates are at the end. I have added a couple of labels in square brackets like [South Gate].
After traversing the famous Solitudes of the Thebaid, which were once the asylum of fervent servants of God, who lived a life more angelic than human, I went to take some rest at the Monastery of St. John that I mentioned earlier. After spending two days there, I found myself able to continue my journey; but it was not the same for my companions, who found themselves so fatigued, that they dared not engage themselves to follow me. So I was forced to take new guides. I went with these, and we advanced to the North between the Nile and the mountain caves, which is not far, only two miles. We walked for about an hour on a sandy plain, which led us to the ruins of two cities, which are close to one another. The first appears to have been like the suburb of the other; its circumference is two miles. It contains only the remains of some very ordinary hovels. The second city is twice as large as the first, and presents first to the eye some the public buildings of royal magnificence: they were in fact the work of the Emperor Hadrian.
The historians have told us of the love, or rather the mad passion, that this prince had for the youth Antinous. This seemed excessive during the life of this favorite; but it broke out more than ever after his death. He died during a voyage that Hadrian made in Egypt, following the example of Antony, Augustus, Germanicus, and Vespasian, who had the curiosity to be witnesses themselves to the wealth and beauty of that Kingdom. The historians do not agree among themselves on the causes and circumstances of the death of Antinous. Some say that he died of natural disease, others claim he sacrificed himself for his Prince in a sacrifice, others argue that he drowned himself while sailing on the Nile with his Master. Whatever the uncertain manner in which this catastrophe happened, it is agreed by all historians, that the grief that the Emperor conceived was without limit, and that he took it to unexampled excess. The passion that he had for this young man, and the regrets that he had for his death, made him do all that his authority and power could do in order to immortalize the name of his Antinous. He built and dedicated Temples to him; he instituted games in his honour. The Greeks, to please him, claimed that he had given Oracles, which it is known were secretly composed by Hadrian himself. The prince then celebrated ceremonies of his apotheosis with lavish pomp. Not content with all this, he built a small but beautiful city on the banks of the Nile, near where it is claimed that the young man died, and he gave this city the name of Antinoe or Antinopolis.
The situation of this city, of the order of its buildings, its figure, and greatness, are spoken of variously. I have seen it, I was long in the middle of all that is left to us. I observed with great attention all that seemed to deserve it. I will, my Lord, here faithfully set forth to your Serenity, my exact observations. The city is square; it has a diameter of about 2,000 common paces. Two large and long streets, which intersect in the middle, and that both run from one end of the city to the other, are its backbone. These two crossing streets are eighteen paces wide, or forty-five royal feet, and lead to the four great gates of the city. Besides these two main streets, which divide it into four equal parts, there are several other traverses, less wide but long, all perfectly straight, and placed from space to space to give the houses convenient exits. This is easy to recognize from the vestiges that remain. The two main streets, and the other traverses all on had each side their own small gallery, five to six feet wide, and of the length of their street. These small galleries were vaulted. Their vaults were supported on one side on columns of stone of the Corinthian order, very delicately worked, and rested on the other on the roofs of the houses, which were so built on purpose. The vaults of the galleries of the two major streets, wider than the tranverse streets, were supported by more than a thousand columns, ranged on the same line in order to make a spectacle as agreeable to the eyes as magnificent. One can say that this City was one continuous peristyle; from which we can judge that the Emperor Hadrian had as much regard to the convenience of the citizens, as to the magnificence of a monument that he wanted to leave to posterity. For by means of these galleries, that adorned the streets, one could walk in all the neighbourhoods of the city, covered from the heat of the sun, and from other injuries of the air. Of all these vaults, and of the prodigious number of columns that supported them, there only remains today some pieces here and there, and which serve only as witnesses of what they once were.
In terms of the four major gates of the city, which I have already mentioned, those that were to the north and the east, are ruined to the point of being no longer recognizable by their shapes: the other two of the south side and west are almost complete.
[South Gate] I have drawn up a very accurate plan and elevation to better explain the description that follows (Plate II). The south gate, which is represented by the second attached illustration, is a species of triumphal arch, which has three large vaulted doorways, which serve three passages. The middle arch was about twenty-two royal feet wide, and forty tall. It was closed by two large folding doors of wood, covered with iron, which were in the course of time transported to Cairo to close a vault which is called the Bab Ezzouailé, near the Palace of the Grand Provost. The two arches that are alongside the largest, which is in the middle, are about twenty-four feet high, ten or twelve wide. They have above them a square opening smaller than the two gates which are shown below. The width of this whole edifice is about sixty-six feet, the thickness is fifteen or twenty, the height forty five. The two facades are enriched with eight Corinthian pilasters in bas-relief, fluted from the middle to their base. The angle of projection of their capitals is so great that it gave opportunity to the Moors to call the gate "abou elqueroum", that is to say, the father of the horns. Facing these eight pilasters, and about five or six paces from there, eight Corinthian columns of white stone were erected which were four feet around. Each was of five equal parts, and fluted from the bottom to the middle. Time has respected the two columns resting on their pedestals, marked A and B, which face the City; the other two marked C and D are more than half destroyed. As for those facing the country and which are labelled E, F, G, and H, only ruins can be seen.
[West Gate] The west gate, whose architecture is shown in the third figure attached hereto (Plate III), is as complete as that of the south, but much more massive, and in a different style. It likewise has three doors or three large archways. The arch in the middle is sixteen feet wide, and about twenty feet high. The other two are half as high and wide. Above the three vaulted arches there are likewise three large square openings, which make a kind of platform. The middle one is much larger than the other two; one may climb up there by two stairs of about fifty steps, made in the thickness of the walls on both sides. This whole building is about fifty feet long, thirty-five high and forty five deep. The locals call it "Qualaa", that is to say "Castle", because it is a solid building.
[Portico] A few steps from the main gate of the city, which is to the west side, as I have already said, we encounter a magnificent portico, which is the entrance to a thirty or forty paces square tower, closed with high and strong crenellated walls with a niche cut in the wall next to the gate. This portico seems to have been built there to act as a guardpost. The Arabs give to this portico, and to the great tower, the same name that they give to the portico of Ashmounain, i.e. "Melab Elbenat", that is to say, the pleasure house of the Princesses.
The magnificence of Hadrian for his favorite Antinous was not confined to the construction of these four large gates, and all the galleries of the streets, of which I spoke. There may still be seen in various districts of the city the rubble of several palaces and temples. It is not possible to judge what their structure was then. Today there is only a pile of stones and of columns of all kinds of marble.
I found, a hundred yards from the great west gate, fourteen granite columns which were still standing; and, a little further on, four porphyry columns. What time had spared was destroyed by the Turks, who removed large pieces of well worked marble and columns which they wanted in order to decorate their Mosques. I have seen in many of their Mosques the terrible use they made of these riches, placing these marbles and columns without order, a large one next to a small, the Corinthian with the Doric. I witnessed this particularly in a famous oratory of Dervis, named Sheikh Abade. This was formerly a church dedicated to St. Ammonius, Bishop of Assena and martyred at Antinoe. The Turks have made it into a small mosque, and intended to decorate it, filling it with different columns placed next to each other in confusion.
[Column of Alexander Severus] It must however be admitted that we are very obliged to them, not to have touched a column of Alexander Severus, which they have left whole. In the main street, which goes from the south to the north of the city of Antinoe, there is a place at the point where the main street is crossed by another smaller one, going from East to West. At the four corners of this place, or this junction, there were four large columns of Corinthian stone. Of these four only one remains, together with the pedestals of the other three. This column which remains to us (plate IV), and of which I give here a picture, is four feet in diameter; its is made up of five pieces. The first piece next to the base is three and a half feet tall, surrounded by oak leaves, which gives it great grace. The other four pieces are seven feet each: its capital is topped by a square stone three feet high and two wide. This stone apparently used to support a statue that was put on it. The pedestal is thirteen feet high, composed of eight courses of stone. On the fourth, fifth and sixth stones we read the following Greek inscription. It contains thirteen lines, of which time or the Arabs have erased more than half. Here's what I've been able to decipher:
That is to say, "For prosperity. To the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander Pius Blessed… Aurelius being Prefect of the new Greeks of Antinoe. And Apollonius… on these monuments… Caius Chremes."
As soon as I saw this inscription, I took out my tablets to transcribe it. I was afraid that the Arabs would discover me in my operation, and they might take me for an enchanter, or a necromancer, seeing me writing without ink or pen, and this fear, I must say, made me so nervous, that I transcribed only those words whose letters were the most recognizable.
The inscription which was on two of the four pedestals is completely erased; the one that was on the other two, is a little better preserved, except for some words which no longer appear. This is the inscription taken from the two pedestals, from which I extracted what I give here. About this inscription there are four points to make. The first is that the same inscription had been engraved on the four pedestals; from which we must conclude that these four columns were erected in honour of Alexander Severus. His name is engraved distinctly, as I have written it, with a small omega. The second reflection is that in all likelihood, this word "tinoeon" has been truncated, and that the two initial letters "an" should be added at the front, which will give the full name of "antinoeon". Just as nothing resists time, which corrupts and destroys everything, so it has corrupted the old name of the city of Antinoe, which the Arabs call today Ansiné. I consulted on this subject an old Coptic-Arabic Dictionary which the Coptic Priests use; I found in this that the ruined city, where Sheik Abade is, that is to say, the oratory of Dervis, called "Ansiné" in Arabic, is translated into Coptic as "Antinoe". The third point to make is that the four columns placed in one of the great streets of Antinoe were erected after one of the victories of Alexander Severus; perhaps after the one that he won in person against Artaxerxes king of the Persians in the year 233 of Jesus Christ. The oak branches that surround the bottom of the column, appear to be a symbol of his triumph. The names of Aurelius, Apollonius, Caius Chremes mentioned in the inscription, are the names of the magistrates of the city, and of the architect, or an officer of the Emperor, who all presided over the construction of this monument in honour of their Master. The final point to make is that, in this inscription, the inhabitants of Antinoe are called the new Greeks. I do not see any other reason than this, which is that Hadrian, in the year 175 being initiated into the mysteries of Ceres Eleusine at Athens, might have brought from that city, or from some other city of Greece, priests and ministers to serve, in his new colony of Antinoe, the temples which he had devoted to the memory of Antinous.
This young man whom the Emperor wanted to deify, died in the year 132 of Jesus Christ. The city that bore his name filled up shortly afterwards with Christians. It became a suffragan bishopric of Thebes. Eusebius has preserved a letter written to the Antinoïtes by St. Alexander, Bishop of Jerusalem, in the late third century. Palladius assures us that at the end of the fourth century, the city was so populated by Christians that there were twelve convents of Virgin consecrated to God. This celebrated city is now only a heap of ruins, with the exception of those antiquities of which I have given pictures, and whose strength has withstood time and the avarice of the Arabs. It is located fifty-two leagues from Cairo, three from Mellavi, to the northeast, on the Eastern bank of the Nile, near the famous Monastery of Dervis, of which I have spoken. In spite of all these ruins of Antinoe, I did not depart from it without regret, its antiquity making it dear and respectable. I left to go and spend the night at the Monastery of St. John. I traversed a plain, which is to the east, between the mountains and the city. It is covered with beautiful mausoleums erected next to neighboring ruins. The Turks of the city of Mellavi, and several other places, have their cemetery in the plain.
Having arrived at the Monastery of Saint John, I assembled all the families currently occupying those places, where solitary holy monks once sang, day and night, praises to God. …
Thus far, Fr. Sicard, who died of plague in Egypt, his work incomplete.
One plate, plate IV, is more or less complete in one of the online copies, and shows the column of Alexander Severus and the inscription.
The other two may be found here.
[1]Also reprinted in Lettres édifiantes et curieuses écrites des missions étrangères – Nouvelle édition, vol. 2, Mémoires du Levant, 1810 and reprints. The collection of letters was originally made by C. Le Gobien [et al.] and first published in 34 v. in Paris, 1702-76. This new edition of the rearrangement edited by Querbeuf. I have not been able to work out which are the correct volumes of the original edition, although I know that the volume numbers are listed here on p.224 (but inaccessible to me).↩
[2]E.g. This one at the Bavarian State Library here from 1810.↩
[3]Translation mine, via Google translate↩
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, Egypt, Sicard12 Comments on A visit in 1716 to Antinoupolis by Fr Claude Sicard, SJ
Faces in the streets of Antinoupolis
Posted on October 31, 2016 by Roger Pearse
A google images search, undertaken for other reasons, gave me a sudden picture of the people of Antinoupolis. Here it is:
Fascinating to see, isn't it?
I suppose some of them are from elsewhere in the Fayoum; but even so, this is a fascinating collection of people!
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An inscription from Antinoupolis preserved by Richard Pococke
An earlier visitor to Antinoupolis was the Jesuit Father Sicard, whose work I have yet to locate. But Richard Pococke gives (p.279) an item on his authority as follows:
We've seen a reference in Vansleb to a "pillar of Marcus Aurelius". This must be the inscription.
I don't profess any skill with Greek inscriptions whatsoever, but even I can see autokratori kaisari marco aurelioi seoueroi alexandroi eusebei eutuxei" in the above; i.e. Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander. So in fact the inscription is not for Marcus Aurelius, but for the later emperor Alexander Severus.
Can anyone read more?
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, Egypt, Greek inscriptions8 Comments on An inscription from Antinoupolis preserved by Richard Pococke
An English visitor to Antinoupolis in 1737
Another early visitor to Antinoupolis was Richard Pococke, whose Observations on Egypt, vol. 1, 1743, begin with a picture (before page 73) of one of the gates still then standing at the city.
Gate at Antinoupolis. Pococke, plate 24, between p.72-3.
He describes his visit as follows:
On the fourteenth [of December, 1737] we had a good wind, and passed by Minio [Minya] on the west, a neat town in comparison of the others, and the residence of the Cashis of the province of that name; higher we passed Souadi, a small town to the east.
We came up with the ruined city of Antinoopolis, now called Ensineh; Some say there was anciently a city here called Besa; but Antinous, who accompanied Hadrian into Egypt, being drowned there, that Emperor built this city, and called it after the name of his favourite, to whom he instituted games and divine honours: It was made also the capitalw of a new province of that name, taken out of the last of the seven provinces, called Heptanomis.
It is said the city was three or four miles round. I saw a large pillar with a Corinthian capital, and a square stone or plinth on the top, which was probably to set some statue on; it is said there were four of these.
I had also a view of a very fine gate of the Corinthian order, of exquisite workmanship; a plan and upright of which may be seen in the twenty-fourth plate, marked A. B.
Near this place is a village of Christians, called Ebadie, whose greatest security, among such very bad people, seems to be a notion that has prevailed, that no Mahometan can live in that place. Higher is the convent of St. John (Der-Abou-Ennis) where there are several priests; and a little further on is Meloui, near a mile to the west of the river.
w. Ptol. iv. c.15.
The gate is, of course, long since destroyed by the inhabitants of the area. How interesting to discover that in Pococke's time the village of Sheikh Ibade was a Coptic village,
The plate 24 also shows part of the now vanished temple at el-Ashmounein, or Hermopolis.
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Aerial photo of Antinoupolis in 2011 – before the destruction of the circus began
Never rely on Google Maps for an aerial view of an archaeological site. Always screen-shot it. You may be grateful in future that you did.
This thought was provoked by finding an aerial image of Antinoupolis in Egypt, modern Sheikh Ibeda, here. Here it is:
Comparison with the current view will quickly show that part of the circus at the top, the hippodrome, has been demolished.
That's within the last five years.
Treasure your snapshots!
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The journal of a French visitor to Antinoupolis in 1672-3
There are many good things to be found online these days. Among them is Father Vansleb Nouvelle Relation … d'un Voyage fait en Egypte, Paris 1702; the diary of a journey into Egypt in 1672-3. On p.386, we find an account of his visit to Antinoupolis.
I don't guarantee the accuracy of my translation; but I want to see what he has to say, so as I am reading it, I thought that I would share it.
On April 3, Monday of our Easter, I had myself taken to the ancient town of Insine, so named in the Coptic dictionaries, once known as Antinoe, once as Thebes.
First I went to see the tomb of Mahomet Bey, who was Bey of Girga forty years ago. But after taking up arms against Gaza Pasha, he lost the battle at Melave; and, abandoned by his allies, he was defeated, captured and strangled. His tomb is outside the town, in the communal cemetery, and, although nothing out of the ordinary, I still wanted to see it because he had, and has still, a great reputation among those of his country. His justice and his good government is missed even today in all of Upper Egypt.
After visiting his tomb, I went into the town; and the first thing that I looked at, as a very remarkable antiquity, was the column of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. It is made of five parts, of which four are joined together and the fifth, closest to the ground, is surrounded with decoration. On the pedestal there is a Greek inscription of thirteen lines.
Near this column I saw three others, very similar to it, scattered on the earth, and only the pedestal of one was standing.
From the column I went to see the triumphal arch, which is still almost complete. I gave myself the pleasure of ascending it, by means of a little staircase made in the body of the wall of the arch, which contained fifty steps, or thereabouts. I lay down at the largest window, which was over the principal arch, from where I had the satisfaction of seeing the entirety of the ruins, and the situation of the town, once so illustrious.
This triumphal arch was alone, and entirely detached from the rest of the ruins, being only four steps from the Nile. But in the absence of an inscription, one cannot say by whom or for whom it was raised. There are no sculptures, as with those at Orange or Rome; but it does not fail to be one of the most beautiful that I have seen.
One of its faces is 80 royal feet in length, and one side is 24. The great arch in the middle, which is between two small ones, is 60 feet high, and each of the little ones is 7 feet high. The thickness of the wall between the large and the little arches, which is only a single stone, is 6 feet and 2 inches. The spacing between the little arch and the outside angle of the Arch is 5 feet. The side that faces the Nile faces south-east.
There are still forty fine columns of granite on the right hand side of the arch, in a straight line, leading towards the Nile. Some still have their capitals. Some stand alone, and others are attached to the huts of the Arabs who live there. On the same side, going towards the monastery of Abuhennis, one can see three fine columns of porphyry, two of which are still standing and one which has fallen down.
In the mosque of this town there is a "sheikh" or "saint" whom the Arabs called Sheikh Abade, and for whom they have a particular veneration, believing him to be a muslim. But here they are mistaken. He was a Christian, the bishop of Esna, and was martyred at Insine. They call him Sheikh Abade by mistake, caused by the surname of this bishop. He was called Ammonius the Abed, i,e. Ammonius the Devout; and the Arabs have manipulated the adjective of Abed and turned it into a proper name. His relics are preserved in the "Heikel" of the church, which is now a mosque.
I was going to view the remains of a magnificent palace, which the Arabs call "Abulkerun", or "the horned building", because, I think, the columns which stand before this building have such large capitals that they resemble horns; this is the true signification of the word "Kern". But the multitude and variety of so many fine antiquities left me with a tired spirit, and the heat was violent. I was constrained to retire to the monastery, with the intention to return another day, to examine it all more carefully.
On Wednesday, the fifth of the month, I went for the second time to the town of Insine, to examine the ruins with more attention, and particularly the columns before the Abulkerun, on the northwest side.
There are four in all, planted before the frontispiece of the palace, once very magnificent, but of which only a small part now remains, surrounded by its own ruins. … [description of the columns] …
There were also behind the palace to the south east four other columns of the same grandeur, of the same form and the same material as those that I have just described. But these were thrown down on the ground, and I could only see their pedestals. The column of Marcus Aurelius was to the north west of the ruins of this palace. [Then measurements of the column of Marcus Aurelius]
I saw that there were once two avenues in the town, which were more considerable than the others. One commenced from Abulkerun, and finished at the four columns of Marcus Aurelius, running from east to north. This road was bordered by columns on both sides. The second commenced at the triumphal arch, which is at one end of the town to the south east, and which runs toward the north east. These roads are very long, very wide and very straight, and filled with ruins of magnificent palaces.
In Insine, as well as in the caves in the mountains, there are found pitchers in the earth, in which the inhabitants of the Thebaid kept their wine … they are pointed at the bottom, in order to plant them in the ground. My guide had the address to find them … I took two to Paris.
That's a lot of words for not very much information. The actual measurements might be of value in some cases, admittedly. But what a pity that he didn't give us a sketch!
(I also found online an Italian encyclopedia article here,[1] But probably this merely repeats information gathered at the time of Napoleon.)
[1]Francesco Milizia, Dizionario delle belle arte del disegno, 1797, vol. 1, p.39.↩
Posted in From my diaryTagged Antinoupolis, Egypt2 Comments on The journal of a French visitor to Antinoupolis in 1672-3


News that rail fares will rise by 3% at local stations is massive blow to passengers, and also to the reputation of MP Grant Shapps who vowed to stop the rise. "Even a government without a majority feels able to snub the MP and other more vocal Herts MPs who wrote together to oppose any rise" says local LibDem council group leader Malcolm Cowan, who is also chair of the WGC rail user group. "The Department for Transport set the fares for rail operator Govia. Chris Grayling, as Transport Minister must have signed off these ludicrous fare rises. If Grant is serious, he must demand Grayling's resignation."
"The new rail timetable to operate from 9 December continues to provide a sub-standard service far worse than before the so-called upgrade in May that had to be withdrawn after the chaos of cancellations. So we are being made to pay more for less. LibDems demand better."
At Tuesday's Full Council meeting at of Herts County Council, Nigel Quinton, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Handside and Peartree, put the Leader of the Council on the spot over the continued failure of the rail companies to respond to representations from the Council and from Rail User Groups. According to Nigel "The County Council seem oblivious to the appalling lack of response on our line and the continued inadequacy of the service – LibDems demand better and I was pleased to note that the Leader undertook to look again at what they could do to bring pressure to bear on GTR. It was very notable that lots of reference was made to an MP towards the west of the County, where services are much better, and none at all to our absentee MP Grant Shapps."
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