Pre-Dynastic (before
3100 BC)
Old Kingdom
(2686–2181 BC)
Middle Kingdom
(2055–1650 BC)
New Kingdom (1550–1069
BC)
Ptolemaic (332–30 BC)
Of these, our recent focus has been the Ptolemaic years. This
era began in 305 BC when Ptolemy I Soter, one of Alexander the Great’s
successors, gained control of Egypt. His
Ptolemaic Dynasty ruled Egypt for the next 300 years. (Fun fact: the last Ptolemaic monarch was
Cleopatra VII Philopator, better known as THE Cleopatra. After her death in 30
BC, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.)
During
the Ptolemaic years, a melding of Egyptian and Greek culture occurred. This was perhaps most notable in the religious
sector. A great example of this is the
hybrid god Harpocrates, invented by the Greeks based upon the Egyptian god
Horus the Child. To the Egyptians, Horus
the Child was the god of the newborn sun. He was often depicted with a finger to his
lips, in representation of the hieroglyph for “child,” but the later Greeks and
Romans took this to imply silence and secret-keeping. Therefore, Harpocrates became the god of
silence, secrets, and confidentiality.
We have two, possibly three, Harpocrates terracottas in our
collection. The first depicts him riding
a horse, as featured below.
The second terracotta is more worn, but unique in that it
serves to demonstrate the number of ways a single deity could be depicted. Here, along with the usual finger to the lips,
Harpocrates holds a pot under one arm. On
his other side is a large circular object that has yet to be identified.
Finally, we have the figure of a head featured below. Given the mischievous, childlike features, as
well as the same, distinctive pointed hat we saw him wearing on the horse, it’s
reasonable to assume this is also Harpocrates.
Objects like the Harpocrates terracottas remind us that the
cultures of the ancient world were not isolated. Just like today, there was a constant exchange
of ideas, beliefs, and traditions between ethnic groups. Sometimes, when these ideas are borrowed or
modified to suit the needs of a new audience, hybrid cultures such as Ptolemaic
Egypt occur. Research is ongoing.
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