Outstanding post as always Katherine. I really appreciate your taking the time to comment on this. I learn something new everytime I read your work.

As far as Merneith, everything you said is correct; however, I can bridge the time gap. This name was still important in Saqarra in the 18th dynasty, in the days of Akhenaten... as discussed in a different topic.

Quote

http://www.sis.gov.eg/En/EgyptOnline/tourism/000003/0204000000000000002547.htm
"Meryneith - High Priest - his tomb has only recently been discovered (January 2001) at Saqqara"

Additionally, Cerne is founded by Hanno around 600BC; IF Myrine existed before that, then the Cerne of Myrine must have been somewhere else.

Quote

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_chronicle_02_part1.htm
"1046BC - c Myrina founded [in Lemnos or Turkey]." -- Jerome Chronicle

Note: The Geneology from Greek Mythology makes Myrina older than this.

As far as the Libyan island in the Tritonis Marsh, I can bridge that gap, as well, as the western branch of the Nile looks like a Triton, with the right side of this Triton touching Sais, and the Left-side touching Pharos; There is a marsh there (Lake Marea); Nome 3 is Libya.

Note2: I am aware that the Tritonis River is commonly placed on the Kinyps in Tunisia.

Katherine Griffis-Greenberg Wrote:
> I personally think you are on the wrong track,
> since Cerne, the home of Myrina, queen of the
> Amazons, is established in other classical texts
> as an island off the western coast of Libya (we
> are talking about the Libyan Amazons, after all).
> The island of Cerne is mentioned in ancient works
> such as Periplus or the Voyage of Hanno, which
> talks about the establishment of a colony on the
> island by the Phoenicians.
>
> This text predates its 3rd century BCE Greek
> version, but there's little doubt that Cerne is
> not Qurna/Thebes, since a) Thebes was not even a
> town during the Old Kingdom, as Thebes arose to
> prominence in the 11th Dynasty, some 1000 years
> after the death of Merneith, who ruled from
> Saqqara with her husband Djer in the 1st Dynasty,
> about 3000 BCE.
>
> Finally, b) since the term "Qurna" comes from the
> Arabic word for the mountain upon which the modern
> village of Gurna/Qurna exists, meaning "the horn"
> in reference to the mountain on the Western Bank
> of the Nile across from Thebes, I can't see any
> reasonable etymology which makes the ancient
> Libyan island of Cerne = Qurna (terms separated by
> yet another 600-1000 years from one another in
> etymology, and from far different language
> sources).
>
> HTH.
>
> Katherine Griffis-Greenberg
>
> Oriental Institute
> Oriental Studies Doctoral Program
> Oxford University
> Oxford, United Kingdom




Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/17/2007 01:09PM by rich.