Figurine of Egyptian god Bes
Υ709
Faience
Incomplete
Height: 4.3 cm.Width: 2.1 cm.
Amnissos
Sanctuary of Zeus Thenatas
Early Archaic period:
c. 700 BC:
Gallery:
XVCase:
158Exhibition thematic unit:
Geometric - Archaic - Classical period (10th-4th c. BC). Cities and SanctuariesSanctuaries
Description
faience figurine of the Egyptian god Bes. He is depicted as a fat, ugly dwarf with prominent facial features, protruding ears and snub nose. Despite his appearance, he is one of the most kindly-disposed gods and protector of the good. He is also believed to bring good fortune and protects pregnant women along with other maternal deities. Due to these attributes, figurines like this one are often found as amulets in every region with Egyptian contacts. This example was found in the Sanctuary of Zeus Thenatas at Amnisos, together with figurines of other Egyptian gods with apotropaic and maternal qualities, such as Hathor and Sekhmet. Bes figurines have also been found elsewhere in Crete, for example at Knossos and in the Cave of Eileithyia at Inatos.Bibliography:
Marinatos, S., "Ἀνασκαφαί ἐν Κρήτῃ" Πρακτικά της εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογικής Εταιρίας 1935”, Athens, 1936, 198. Webb, V., Archaic Greek Faience Miniature Scent Bottles and Related Objects from East Greece, 650-500 B.C., Warminster, 1978, 155 . Schäfer, J. (ed), Amnisos. Nach den archäologischen, historischen, und epigraphischen Zeugnissen des Altertums und der Neuzeit, Berlin, 1992, 232, 252. Stampolidis N. Chr. - Karetsou A. (eds) Ανατολική Μεσόγειος, Κύπρος-Δωδεκάνησα-Κρήτη, 16ος-6ος αι. π.Χ., Heraklion, 1998, 222. Karetsou A. - Andreaki-Vlazaki M., Crete-Egypt, Three thousand years of cultural links, Herakleion-Cairo, 2001, 355.Author:
S. P.Photographs' metadata