A city of Egypt, called by the Greeks Bubastos, and containing a famous temple of the goddess Bubastis, who was compared to the Diana of Southern Europe. This temple was annually visited by immense multitudes. The ruins of Pi-beseth, on the eastern arm of the Nile near the ancient canal to Suez, consist of extensive mounds of bricks and broken pottery, Eze 30:17.

(Eze 30:17), supposed to mean. "a cat," or a deity in the form of a cat, worshipped by the Egyptians. It was called by the Greeks Bubastis. The hieroglyphic name is "Pe-bast", i.e., the house of Bast, the Artemis of the Egyptians. The town of Bubasts was situated on the Pelusian branch, i.e., the easternmost branch, of the Delta. It was the seat of one of the chief annual festivals of the Egyptians. Its ruins bear the modern name of Tel-Basta.

Eze 30:17 : Bubastis, one of the greatest cities in Lower Egypt; Egyp. Pubasti, 'House of Ubasti'; It was especially the residence of the 22nd Dyn., which was founded by Shishak. The goddess Uhasti was usually figured with a lion's head, but she was of a mild character, and her sacred animal in late times was the cat. The ruins of the city are now called Tell Basta, lying near Zagazig, in the E. of the Delta. The temple described by Herodotus was excavated by Naville, yielding monuments of every period from the 4th Dynasty to the 30th.

F. Ll. Griffith.