$H So.

The name by which Sha= baka or Sibahe, king of Egypt, is mentioned in Hebr= ew history. (1876c1)

$H Soapstone. (See STEATITE.)= (1883m1)

$H Sober. Painting

(Paint.) A term applied to a refined scheme of colour, w= hich produces a calm, tranquil impression upon the spectator.(1891a1)

$H Socculus. Diminutive of <= span class=3DSpellE>soccus. (1883m1)

$H Soccus.

Soccus, Gr. and R. A slipper worn in Greece both by men and women, but at Rome by women on= ly. It was worn by actors upon the stage.(1883m1)

Soccus. (Cost.) A loose kind of slipper which in Greece was worn both by men and women. In Rome, however, it belonged only to the costume of women and comic actors. ILLUS. socc= us(1891a1)

$H Socle.

Arch. A plain block = or plinth forming a low pedestal to a column; or a plinth round the bottom of a wall.(1883m1)

(Arch.) The term socle is applied to the square sub‑basement of a building or column, and also to the small pedestal, with or without a moulding, which serves to support a bust or vase. In the sense of pedesta= l, the use of the term is not strictly accurate. What should properly be understood by socle is the moulding or projec= tion of the base of a pedestal. In buildings of the Gothic style we find examp= les of socles cut in facets. ILLUS. socle(1891a1)

$H Socris.= Persia<= /p>

A Persian officer, the father of Otanes, an officer and friend of Darius Hystaspes. (1876c1)

$H Soffit. Architecture

Arch. The flat surfa= ce on the lower side of an arch or cornice.(1883m1)

(Arch.) The portion of a ceiling below the cornice. Soffits are often decorated with rosettes of extraordinary richness. The term is also applied to the under surface of a cornice, the round portion of an arch. The terms flat soffit and curved soffit are applied by builders to = the stones with which they construct the flat part or the concave surface of = an arch. 2 ILLUS. soffi= t1, soffit2(1891a1)

&nbs= p; &nbs= p; &= nbsp;

$H Sofh. Egypt

The Egyptian goddess of writing. She was generally represented as wearing an expanded Doum palm leaf on her head beneath two inverted cow horns. She was chiefly ado= red at Memphis in the IVth dynasty. (1876c1)<= /p>

$H Soften. Painting

(Paint.) When the outlines in a picture are too strongly indicated and drawn with too much dryness, they should be softened down u= ntil they blend with the tonality of the ground and no longer strike the spect= ator disagreeably.(1891a1)

$H Softener. Painting

(Paint.) A large soft flat hair brush, either cylindrica= l or of a special shape, with which two colours freshly laid on the canvas are blended.(1891a1)

$H Sohail.

The star Canopus adored as a divini= ty by the people of Sabaea. (1876c1)

$H Sokar. Egypt [See Sokaris - Editor]

$H Sokari. Egypt

Among the ancient Egyptians the festival of the fifteenth day of the month. (1876c1)

A deity of Lower Eg= ypt. He was a compound form of the god Pthah of Me= mphis. See Ptha= h-Sokari-Osiris and Tane= n, or Tanen= tu. (1876c1)

$H Sokaris. Egypt

Sokaris, or Sokar, or Seker. A god of whom little is known except wh= en in combination with others. He was a sun-god at one time, and his emblem was carried round at festivals in the sacred bark called hennu. The great festival of Sokaris was held at Memphis, in conn= ection with the winter solstice. To him, it seems, especially belonged the fourth and fifth hours of the night, through which Ra, the sun, nightly passed during his journey from sunset to dawn. He is represented as a mummy with= a hawk's head. (See PTAH-SEKER-OSIRIS.)(1902b1)

$H Sol. Scandinavia<= /st1:place>

The Scandinavian name of the sun, which was believed to have been a feminine deity. (1876c1)

$H Solarium.

R. (sol, the sun). (1) A sun‑dial; (2) a water‑clock = or clepsydra (solarium ex aquâ); (3) a terrace constructed on the top of a house or portico.(1883m1)<= /o:p>

(Arch.) In a Roman home the solarium was the terrace built over a porch or upon the flat = roof of a house. It was surrounded by a parapet, but open, as its name implies= , to the sun's rays.(1891a1)

$H Soldurii.

Gaul. A body of Gallic warriors forming a CLAN under one chief.(1883m1)

$H Solea.

R. and Chr. (solum, sole of the foot). A sandal of the simplest kind, consisting of a sole fa= stened on with straps over the instep. Solea ferrea, a horse‑shoe, or soccus of iron; solea sparta<= /i>, a sock of Spanish broom for the feet of beasts of burden or of cattle; solea lignea<= /i>, wooden clogs fastened to the feet of criminals. Lastly the term denoted a= machine for crushing olives, the nature and shape of which are entirely unknown. = In Christian archaeology, the term solea was used to denote, in the early basilicas, a sp= ace in front of the choir.(1883m1)

$H Soler.

(Lat. solarium; A.S. upR= 09;flor). The upper floor of a house, approached b= y a staeger= (Ang. stair) outside.(1883m1)

$H Soles of the Feet.

Egyp. and Chr. On a great number of Christian tombs there occur representations of the s= oles of the feet. This symbol has been variously explained. In our opinion, one which has never been broached before, it denoted that the dead were in the power of God; for among the Egyptians, whenever a god or powerful king was spoken of, it was said of him that he put his enemies under the sole of h= is foot. Ezekiel uses the same terms in speaking of Jehovah. Whenever an Egyptian = went on a pilgrimage to a distant place, he never left the country without engraving on some stone the impression of his feet, to which he added his name and titles. (Bosc.)(1883m1)

$H Solid.

In geometry bodies are said to be solid when they are bounded by surfaces. In architecture full heavy masses are known as solid, while in painting the term is applied to strong, robust workmanship, and = to figures which project violently from the canvas.(1891a1)

$H Soliferreum or Solliferreum.

R. A javelin made en= tirely of massive iron.(1883m1)

$H Solium.

R. This term denotes= (1) a chair or arm‑chair with a high back; (2) a bier of wood or terra= 209;cotta for a dead body; (3) the granite or marble seat in an ancient bath.(1883m= 1)

$H Solstice.

The time when the sun appears to stand still, at on= e of the solstitial points, i.e. at his greatest distance from the equator; the summer solstice is the longest day, June 2= 2nd; the winter solstice December 22nd, in the North Hemisphere; reversed in t= he South.(1883m1)

$H Soma. Hindu

In Hindu mythology an intoxicating liquor,= the fermented juice of the stem and leaves of the Asclepias acida. It was indispensable in V= edic sacrifices, and was ultimately elevated to the rank of a deity as a form = of the god Agni. (1876c1)

$H Sombre.

Dark. A term applied to schemes of colour in which black predominates.(1891a1)

$H Son.

The prince royal of Ethiopia under Thothmes II. of the XVIIIth dynasty. (1876c1)

$H Sonata.

Ital. A piece of mus= ic with various movements, composed for a single instrument with or without accompaniment. Sonate di came= ra, sonatas adapted for chamber music; sonate de chiesa, for churches.(1883m1)=

$H Soni-vaphra. Egypt

The name given by some Egyptologists to the queen of Amasis II., the daughter of Psametik II. (1876c1)

$H Sonnachiosi of Bologna.

One of the Italian Academies, having for their device a bear, which sleeps through the winte= r; and the motto spero avanzar= con la vigilia il sonno. (I hope by vigils to make up for sleep.)(1883m1)

$H Sophiel.

In Cabalistic mythology the intelligence of the planet Jupiter. (1876c1)

$H Sopra Bianco.

(Pot.) A name given to a kind of Italian faïence, w= hich is decorated with designs of a clear milky white standing out on a delica= te white ground.(1891a1)

$H Sopt. Egypt

Sopt, or Sepd, the god of the Arabian nome, an= d, according to Wiedemann, sometimes identified = with Bes (q.v.). He is described upon the monuments at Saft el-Henneh as "Sopt, t= he Spirit of the East, the Hawk, the Horus of the East," and as connected with Tum (q.v.). Navi= lle considers him to be the herald of the sun. He probably represents the zodiacal light, the long pyramidal shaft of light seen after the sun has = set or before he rises. The fact that his symbol is a high, narrow pyramid confirms this supposition. ILLUS. So= pt.(1902b1)

$H Soris. Egypt

The Grecian name of an Egyptian king of Memphis, who is = supposed by some authors to have been Snefru or Senefru. (1876c1)

$H Sorrows of the Virgin. &= nbsp; (See JOYS OF THE VIRGI= N.) (1883m1)

$H Sortes.

R. Lots; small table= ts or counters thrown into a SITELLA or urn full of water, and withdrawn for soothsaying.(1883m1)

$H Sos.

Another form of the name of Shu, the Egyptian deity of solar light. (1876c1)

$H Sosarmon.

A king of the Medes. He succeeded Mandauces, and reigned thirty years. (Ctesias.) (1876c1)

$H Sosche. Egypt

The surname of a scribe of Amen Ra, named = Tahut-nefer, which see. (1876c1)<= /p>

$H Soss. Assyria

An Assyrian measure of length, composed of sixty Ribu, which see. (1876c1)

$H Sotb. Egypt

The modern name of the city and nome in Upper Egypt, called by the Greeks Hypselos. (1876c1)<= /o:p>

$H Sotemeit. Egypt

An Egyptian lady, the wife of Fai-hor-ouser, and mother of R= atoker, a prefect of the palace in the period of the XXVIth<= /span> dynasty. (1876c1)

$H Sotemheit. Egypt

The mother of Sobek-e= m-isis, a royal lady of the XIIIth dynasty. (1876c1)<= o:p>

$H Sotep-et-en-ra. Egypt

A daughter of Amenhot= ep IV. of the XVIIIth dynasty. (1876c1)

$H Soter.

Soter. The son of Cornelius, the husband of the lady Cleopatra Candace, and the father of the lady Sensaos. (1876c1)

Soter. "Saviour." An archon of Th= ebes in the time of the Emperor Trajan, A.D. 98. His sarcophagus is in the British Museum. His wife was named Cleop= atra; she was the daughter of Ammonius. (1876c1)

$H Soteria.

Gr. and R. (<= span style=3D'font-family:"WP Greek Courier";mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New = Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-f= ont-family: "WP Greek Courier";mso-no-proof:no'>FTJZD4"[=3Dsoteria], i.e. = of saving). Sacrifices in honour of the gods off= ered by way of thanksgiving for escape from any danger.(1883m1)

$H Sothic Cycle.      Egypt

"The beginning of the reign of Antoninus Pius, or A.D. 138, was remarkable as bein= g the end of the Sothic period of 1460 years. The moveable new year's day of the calendar had come round to the place in the natural year from which it fi= rst began to move. In the reign of Menophres (Thothmes III.?) B.C. 1321, it had come round to the= day when the dog-star, Sothis, rose heliacally. I= f the years had been counted from the beginning of this great year, there could have been no doubt when it came to an end, as from the want of a leap year the new year's day must have been always moving one day in four years; bu= t no satisfactory reckoning of the years had been kept, and as the end of the period was only known from observation, there was some little doubt about= the exact year. Indeed, among the Greek astronomers Dosi= stheus said the dog-star rises heliacally twenty-three days after Midsummer, Meton twenty-eight days, and E= uctemon thirty-one days; thus they left a doubt of thirty-two years as to when the period should end, but the statesmen placed it in the first year of the r= eign of Antoninus Pius. This end of the Sothic per= iod was called the return of the Phoenix, and had been looked forward to by the Egyptians for many years, and is we= ll marked on the coins of this reign, which for the first eight years teem w= ith astronomy. This would correspond with the year of R= ome 800, but in A.U.C 1100, or A.D. 347, the Emperor Con= stantius marked on his coins the return of the Phoenix for that year also." (Sharpe.) The Sothic and Phoenix Cycles are now hopelessly confounded, although originally distinct. According to some authors the Phoenix was a smaller and a totally different stellar cycle. (1876c1)<= /span>

$H Sothis.      Egypt

Sothis. The Greek form of the Egyptian word for Sirius, the brilliant star in the constellation Canis, from whence its name the dog-star, perhaps t= he most important star known to Egyptian astronomers. Its importance also to= the modern chronologer can hardly be over-estimat= ed, for the Egyptian calendar was arranged by the heliacal rising of Sothis. The star was personified as a goddess, and frequently represented, especially in the Graeco-Roman temples, as a cow. She is queen of the thirty-six constellations recorded= in old astronomical tables, and was the star of Isis<= /st1:place>. Part of the temple at Dendera was devoted to = the festivals in honour of the rising of Sothis. = (See YEAR.)(1902b1)

Sothis. Or Sepet, "Triangle." The Grecian name of the dog-st= ar Sirius, which was consecrated to the goddess Isis. "The heliacal ris= ing of this star marked the commencement of the Egyptian civil year, and in t= heir astronomy Sothis was regarded as the queen of thirty-six constellations, which presided successively over the thirty-six decades of the year. The Sothic Cycle was one of the most important eras = in Egyptian chronology, and its recurrence has been recorded in several temp= les. A portion of that of Denderah was consecrated= to celebrating the rising of this star, which was also worshipped at Assuan at the temple of Isis Sothis, from which the first meridian was taken. The heliacal rising of Sothis is recorded in the temple of Medinet Habu as taking place in the twelfth year of Rameses III., thus giving by astronomical calculation the year 1311 for that monarch's accession, the first really fixed point in Egyptian history.&qu= ot; (Pierret.) That Sothis is the dog-star is proved by the Canopus inscription, but i= t was known to be so long before. "My own impression is that the Egyptians confounded the dog-star with the planets, Sothis being in the astronomical ceilings and other places represented in a boat like the planets. The double character of Sothis has probably induced certain authors to regard her as the planet Venus. W= hat the Bennu or phoenix was appears uncertain. I= t is seen in the zodiacal ceilings." (Birch.) See Isis, Bennu, and Phrenix. (1876c1)<= /span>

$H Souban.=      Egypt

An uncertain Egyptian goddess, the representative of the South land or Ethiopia. The reading of he= r name is doubtful. She was generally represented under the form of the vulture. (1876c1)

$H Soul.      Egypt

See BA and KA.(1902b1)

$H Sounding‑board.

Sounding‑board. (Arch.) [See = Abat‑voix.] (1891a1)

Chr. A sort of dome or canopy, placed above pulpit= s to convey the voice of the preacher to his auditory. In the centre of the lo= wer part of the canopy there is often a carved dove, symbolizing the Holy Gho= st. Sounding‑boards must be placed five feet above the speaker's head, = and their diameter should exceed that of the pulpit by six to eight inches on either side.(1883m1)

$H Souniro.     Egypt

An overseer of the archers of an unnamed Egyptian king. His statue is in the Leyden Museum. Period uncertain. (1876c= 1)

$H Souphis.     Egypt

According to the Greek lists a king of the= IIIrd Egyptian dynasty. He reigned sixteen years. (1876c1)

$H Soutane.

Fr. A white woollen cassock, worn by priests under the rochet.= (1883m1)

$H Sow.

Chr. In Christian iconography, the sow is a symbol= of evil, impurity, gluttony, and fecundity. It is borne in the crest of Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, with the motto, "Through."(1883m1)<= o:p>