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The male kine, therefore, if clean, and the male calves, are used
for sacrifice by the Egyptians universally; but the females they are
not allowed to sacrifice, since they are sacred to Isis. The statue
of this goddess has the form of a woman but with horns like a cow,
resembling thus the Greek representations of Io; and the Egyptians,
one and all, venerate cows much more highly than any other animal.
This is the reason why no native of Egypt, whether man or woman,
will give a Greek a kiss, or use the knife of a Greek, or his spit,
or his cauldron, or taste the flesh of an ox, known to be pure, if it
has been cut with a Greek knife. When kine die, the following is the
manner of their sepulture: The females are thrown into the river; the
males are buried in the suburbs of the towns, with one or both of their
horns appearing above the surface of the ground to mark the place.
When the bodies are decayed, a boat comes, at an appointed time,
from the island called Prosopitis, - which is a portion of the
Delta, nine schoenes in circumference, - and calls at the several
cities in turn to collect the bones of the oxen. Prosopitis is a
district containing several cities; the name of that from which the
boats come is Atarbechis. Venus has a temple there of much sanctity.
Great numbers of men go forth from this city and proceed to the other
towns, where they dig up the bones, which they take away with them and
bury together in one place. The same practice prevails with respect to
the interment of all other cattle - the law so determining; they do
not slaughter any of them.
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