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Nice enough.
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Seriously? My name is Tanis. I was born in Michigan and reside in California. I've always been aware that Tanis is an ancient Egyptian City. It became interesting to many when the Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark went to the city of Tanis.
The city of Tanis is relatively unknown among Egypt's wealth of historical sites, though it yielded one of the greatest archeological troves ever found. Once the capital of all Egypt, Tanis's royal tombs have yielded artifacts on par with the treasures of Tutankhamun.
Tanis was known by many names. Ancient Egyptians called it Djanet, and the Old Testament refers to the site as Zoan. Today it's called Sân el-Hagar.
The site, in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo, was capital of the 21st and 22nd dynasties, during the reign of the Tanite kings in Egypt's Third Intermediate period.
The city's advantageous location enabled it to become a wealthy commercial center long before the rise of Alexandria. But political fortunes shifted, and so did the river's waters— and in recent centuries the Tanis site had became a silted plain with some hill-like mounds thought to be of little interest.
In 1939 a French archaeologist named Pierre Montet brought Tanis into the 20th century after nearly a dozen years of excavations. He unearthed a royal tomb complex that included three intact and undisturbed burial chambers— a rare and marvelous find.
The tombs held dazzling funereal treasures such as golden masks, coffins of silver, and elaborate sarcophagi. Other precious items included bracelets, necklaces, pendants, tableware, and amulets.
Statues, vases, and jars also filled the tombs, all part of an array that still bears witness, after thousands of years, to the power and wealth of Tanis's rulers.
One of the kings, Sheshonq II, was unknown before Montet discovered his burial chamber. But he wore elaborate jewelry that once adorned the more famous Sheshonq I, who is mentioned in the Bible.
"That shows you that [the kings of Tanis] were very important at least during that time period," Silverman said of the biblical reference.
Tanis was found largely as it was abandoned, so the city is home to many archaeological treasures in addition to the tombs. Temples, including a Temple of Amun and a Temple of Horus, have been found. Even urban districts of the ancient city remain, and the site continues to host archaeological expeditions in search of more finds.
With so much to discover, how did Montet succeed so spectacularly where others had failed?
"It takes somebody who is really persevering to conquer the odds," Silverman said. "Pierre Montet worked very, very hard to finally discover what is referred to in the Bible—what was known from contemporary history but had been lost."
But if Montet's achievements were extraordinary, his timing was atrocious. His discovery of Tanis was completely overshadowed by the nearly simultaneous eruption of World War II.
Even today, few know the tale of the treasures Montet discovered. And though the objects reside in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, they draw far fewer visitors than their more famous counterparts.
"Had the Second World War not intervened, the royal burials of Tanis would have been as well, if not better, known than the tomb of Tutankhamun," Ikram notes.
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The city of Tanis is relatively unknown among Egypt's wealth of historical sites, though it yielded one of the greatest archeological troves ever found. Once the capital of all Egypt, Tanis's royal tombs have yielded artifacts on par with the treasures of Tutankhamun.
Tanis was known by many names. Ancient Egyptians called it Djanet, and the Old Testament refers to the site as Zoan. Today it's called Sân el-Hagar.
The site, in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo, was capital of the 21st and 22nd dynasties, during the reign of the Tanite kings in Egypt's Third Intermediate period.
The city's advantageous location enabled it to become a wealthy commercial center long before the rise of Alexandria. But political fortunes shifted, and so did the river's waters— and in recent centuries the Tanis site had became a silted plain with some hill-like mounds thought to be of little interest.
In 1939 a French archaeologist named Pierre Montet brought Tanis into the 20th century after nearly a dozen years of excavations. He unearthed a royal tomb complex that included three intact and undisturbed burial chambers— a rare and marvelous find.
The tombs held dazzling funereal treasures such as golden masks, coffins of silver, and elaborate sarcophagi. Other precious items included bracelets, necklaces, pendants, tableware, and amulets.
Statues, vases, and jars also filled the tombs, all part of an array that still bears witness, after thousands of years, to the power and wealth of Tanis's rulers.
One of the kings, Sheshonq II, was unknown before Montet discovered his burial chamber. But he wore elaborate jewelry that once adorned the more famous Sheshonq I, who is mentioned in the Bible.
"That shows you that [the kings of Tanis] were very important at least during that time period," Silverman said of the biblical reference.
Tanis was found largely as it was abandoned, so the city is home to many archaeological treasures in addition to the tombs. Temples, including a Temple of Amun and a Temple of Horus, have been found. Even urban districts of the ancient city remain, and the site continues to host archaeological expeditions in search of more finds.
With so much to discover, how did Montet succeed so spectacularly where others had failed?
"It takes somebody who is really persevering to conquer the odds," Silverman said. "Pierre Montet worked very, very hard to finally discover what is referred to in the Bible—what was known from contemporary history but had been lost."
But if Montet's achievements were extraordinary, his timing was atrocious. His discovery of Tanis was completely overshadowed by the nearly simultaneous eruption of World War II.
Even today, few know the tale of the treasures Montet discovered. And though the objects reside in Cairo's Egyptian Museum, they draw far fewer visitors than their more famous counterparts.
"Had the Second World War not intervened, the royal burials of Tanis would have been as well, if not better, known than the tomb of Tutankhamun," Ikram notes.
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Please don't name your sons Tanis. It's a feminine name, and recently sometimes inaccurately used as a male name. I think it sounds way better for a girl.
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From the name of the Ancient Egyptian city as famously depicted in the Indiana Jones adventure film, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'.
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My daughter was born in 1995 and we named her Tanis from the Dragonlance book of the same name.
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Although I've never read the Dragonlance series mentioned, I do know that my family was going to name me Tanis if I was born a girl. However, they knew of the name because it was once a city in Egypt - and my parents both loved the country and it's mythology. The city is now in ruin, and was commonly believed to be the location of the Hebrew story of Moses’ being found in the marshes of the Nile River as told in Exodus 2:3-5. Tanis was also where the Decree of Canopus was discovered, something very similar to the Rosetta Stone, which helped decipher hieroglyphics.
Ultimately, I've always felt very close to this name, even though I never held it. I use the masculine spelling: Tannis, in some of my writing as my nom de plume. I also intend to use it for my children, as either a middle name or forename. It has a very strong history, that I think would be an honour to have.
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Ultimately, I've always felt very close to this name, even though I never held it. I use the masculine spelling: Tannis, in some of my writing as my nom de plume. I also intend to use it for my children, as either a middle name or forename. It has a very strong history, that I think would be an honour to have.
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This is my son's nickname, short for "Tanthalas", a character from Dragonlance, an RPG/Book series published by Wizards of the Coast (formerly TSR). While I realize that this particular page is in reference to the name, rather than the nickname, I see that some of you use it as your or your child's actual name, so I thought I would shed some light as to the actual meaning for those of you that are familiar with it from the Dragonlance "world". Tanthalas was a Half-Elf, and was often referred to as "Tanis Half-Elven" by his friends and comrades. His mother was an elf that was raped by a human, and as such, his name actually has two translations. The elvish translation is "Everstrong", while the Common (human) translation means "Destined to rule". Though his conceiving was brought about by a tragic event (his mother eventually went insane due to the mistreatment she had endured, and died, and left him as an orphan), he went on to become one of the greatest Heroes of Krynn (the world in which Dragonlance takes place). His struggle to come to terms with both sides of his heritage, in my opinion, is what makes him my favorite character in the stories. He was thrust into leadership by his friends, as everyone in the party looked up to and respected him, although he felt he was undeserving of the position. As he fought within himself to find his moral compass, to accept loyalty and the realization of true love, he emerged as a person that I hope my son will come to be, someday. Someone who is humble enough to accept doubt and mistrust, wise enough to know what is the right thing to do, and who is strong enough in heart and spirit to accept the events of life that make him who he is. To me, that is the definition of "Everstrong" and "Destined to rule"; the meaning behind the name, and why I chose it for my son!
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My name is Tanis, which means daughter in Cree. I am originally from Saskatchan, Canada, where there is a large population of Plains Cree people. I have been told that Danis is another variation (dialect) of my name. I have met a handful of other Tanis' in my life and they have all been girls from western Canada. It wasn't until I moved to eastern Canada that I met a boy named Tanis.
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I've only ever heard the name Tanis in the Dragonlance books. I didn't really realize it was an actual name until I looked it up here. I like the sound of it, and I think it definitely suits both boys and girls.
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Spelled with two n's, Tannis root was a fictional root that was given to Rosemary in the book Rosemary's Baby. It was, supposedly related to Cannabis.
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I named my daughter Tanis, because in the First Nations language of Cree, Tanis means Daughter, and it's a beautiful name for a first born girl.
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The use of Tanis as a male name in English seems to be much more recent than its use as a female name. One of the first uses of it for a female character was in American author Amelie Rives's 1893 novel "Tanis the Sang-digger". Sinclair Lewis's famous 1922 novel "Babbitt" features a female character named Tanis Judique.
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My son is named Tanis after the Dragonlance character, although I have seen it with the same spelling used by females from Russia. Although there was also a boy born at the same hospital in rural Wisconsin that my son was born at named "Tannis" a few weeks earlier. Which is how my sons is commonly misspelled.
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I have read that the name "Tanith" from which Tanis is formed means "an estate".
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Tanis is a girl's name, however I do agree it does sound slightly masculine. The worst thing about being called Tanis myself is how many people cannot pronounce it.
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Tanis is a universal name; it can be used for both men and women, although I think it has a more masculine sound to it.
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This is also a male name. It is a character from the Dragonlance books. It is an abbreviated version of Tanthalases Half-Elven.
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It's not Tanthalases! It's Tanthalas. Well, in books one through three it's Tanthalas, but in book six, when the name re-emerges, it mysteriously becomes "Tanthalasa" with an "a" at the end.
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