Taposiris

• a town in Egypt, Plin. 27, 7, 29, § 53; 32, 9, 31, § 100.

TAPOSI´RIS (Ταπόσειρις, Strab. 17. p. 799; Ταπόσιρις, Ptol. 4.5.34; Dioscorides, Mater. Med. 3.24; Ταφόσιρις, Steph. B. s. v.; Tapostris, Tab. Peut.: the Bosiri of Leo Africanus), was a town in the Libyan Nome, west of the Delta, and about 25 miles distant from Alexandreia. There were probably several places of this name in Aegypt, since each Nome would be desirous to possess a tomb of Osiris.A bulfeda mentions a Basir near Sebennytus, another in the Arsinoite Nome, the Fyoum; a third at Gizeh, close to the Pyramids. The town, however, in the Libyan Nome appears to have been the most considerable of all, inasmuch as it was the place where the prefect of Alexandreia held the periodical census of the Libyan Nome. Its market, indeed, was so much frequented that the emperor Justinian (A.D. 527, foll.) constructed at Taposiris a town-hall, and public baths. (Procop. de Aedif. 6.1.) Nearer Alexandreia was a smaller town of this name. (Ταποσείρις πλησίον Ἀλεξανδρείας, Steph. B. s. v.;ἡ μίκρα, Strab. 17. p. 800.)