or mistress of Ptah, the seven cows being the mystical companions of the Apis, the second life or incarnation of the god of Memphis. She was also represented under the attributes and with the titles of the goddess Nut, or the Egyptian Rhea. The cow of Athor wore on its head the sotar disk, and hawk feather plumes, like Amen Ea ; and in this character as the great cow she has on some monuments her human head replaced by that of a cow wearing a disk, or the disk and plumes. This emblem also appears in her type at a later period, when her head is represented with lonf tresses curled into a spiral at the end, and she has the ears of a cow instead of human ears. Her head is then surmounted by a doorway or its cornice, emblem of the abode of the sun, which she represented. This is sometimes surmounted by the disk and horns. The handle of the sistrum, a musical instrument with bars, was generally made in shape of this head and cornice, as were also the capitals of the columns of Abusimbel, Den- derah, and other temples, and the segis and prows of certain arks. As the goddess of beauty and youth, many of the queens of Egypt assumed her type and attributes, and young females after death, at the Ptolemaic and subsequent periods, had their names preceded by that of the goddess, as both sexes had "Osiris" from the period of the 19th dynasty, that of Athor being a later substitute, and for females only. The third month of the Egyptian year was named Athor after her, and the fish aten or latus, a kind of carp, was sacred to her. The names and titles of Athor were very numerous, and she is named in the inscriptions the lady or mistress of Silsilis, Abusimbul, Pselcis, Ombos, Hermonthis, Apollonopolis Magna, and Heliopolis ; but the chief site of her worship was Denderah, or Tentyris, where she is mentioned under many names, and all the different festi vals held in her honour are recorded in the calendar of the temple. Athor is one of the oldest of the Egyptian deities, and her worship continued till the fall of Pantheism and substitution of Christianity. Her worship passed from Egypt to the neighbouring isles, cow-headed figures of the goddess having been discovered in Cyprus. Her figures and representation are common. Jablonski, Panth. ; Wil kinson, Manners and Customs, iv. 387 ; Birch, Gall. Antiq., p. 25; Duemichen, Bauurkunde der Dendera, Leip. 1865. (s. B.)
ATHOS is, strictly speaking, the terminal peak of the
most eastern of the three peninsular promontories which
stretch south from the coast of Turkey (Macedonia), like
the prongs of a trident, into the Archipelago. The name
is, however, frequently extended to the whole peninsula
which was formerly known as Acte. The peak rises like
a pyramid, with a steep summit of white marble, to a
height of 6780 feet, and can be seen at sunset from the
plain of Troy on the one hand, and on the other from the
slopes of Olympus. The whole peninsula is remarkable
for the beauty of its scenery, with rocky heights and richly-
wooded flanks, ravines " embowered from the light," and
glimpses or free outlook over the surrounding sea. The
climate is for the most part healthy and pleasant, though
the western side is perhaps too much exposed to the heats
of summer ; and Lucian assures us that in ancient times
the inhabitants were famous for longevity. Several towns,
such as Sane, Dium, Olophyxus, Cleona?, are mentioned by
Greek and Latin writers as existing in the Peninsula ; but
none of them seem to have attained any great importance,
and the most remarkable event in the ancient history of
Athos is the construction by Xerxes of a ship-canal across
the isthmus between the outer sea and the Singitic gulf.
Traces of this canal, which was regarded by Juvenal as a
Greek myth, have been found almost right across the neck
of land, and leave no doubt of the truth of the story. In
more modern times the district of Athos has been famous for
the number of hermits and monks that have found shelter
in its retreats. No fewer than 935 churches, chapels, and
oratories are said to exist, and many of the communities
possess considerable wealth. It is believed that, with the
exception of the dwellings of Pompeii, some buildings in
[ map ]
Athos are the oldest specimens of domestic architecture in Europe ; the shrines are in many cases richly decorated with goldsmith s work of great antiquity ; the wealth of the monastic libraries in illuminated manuscripts has long been celebrated ; and nowhere, according to Mr Tozer, can the Byzantine school of painting be studied with equal advantage. The date of the oldest religious foundation in the peninsula is not clearly ascertained, and the traditional chronology of the monks themselves can hardly be trusted. A bull of Romanus Lecapenus speaka of the restoration of the monastery of Xeropotamu in 924, and as early as 885 a rescript of Basil the Macedonian forbids the molestation of the " holy hermits." Lavra, on Mount Athos proper, was founded by St Athanasius in 960 ; the village of Caryes or " The Hazels, " was appointed as the seat of government about the same time ; and shortly afterwards there followed the establishments Iveron ([Greek]), Vatopedi (/foroTre Sioj ), and Sphigmenu (TOV Ea-cjuy^vov). The family of the Cornneni (1056-1204) bestowed great privileges on the existing monastaries, and added to their number. In the reign of Alexius the first purely Slavonic monastery (that of Chilandari) was founded by the Servian prince Stephen Nemenja. The taking of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204 brought persecution and pillage on the monks ; this reminded them of earlier Saracenic invasions, and led them to appeal for protection to Pope Innocent III., who gave them a favourable reply. Under the Pabeologi they recovered their prosperity, and were enriched by gifts from various sources. In the 14th century the peninsula became the chosen retreat of several of the emperors, and the monasteries were thrown into commotion by the famous dispute about the mystical Hesychasts. Their numbers were gradually increased by the foundation of St Dionysius, Simopetra, Constamonitu, Russico, St Paul. In the 15th century the monks made terms with the Turkish conqueror Amurath, and have since been molested by none of the sultans, except Soliman the Magnificent, who laid waste some parts of the peninsula. In 1545 Stavroniceta, the last monastery, was added to the list. The hospodars of Wallachia, who were recognised as the protectors of Athos, enriched the communities with
lands ; but a process of secularisation was commenced by
