Horus as a Falcon
2016-00-00
Name/Title
Horus as a FalconEntry/Object ID
08EG16131Description
The god Horus represented as a falcon. Inscription on chest reads "IEPAΣ XPHΣTE XAIPE." The wings of the falcon are tucked behind its back. Surface is lustrous, black stone.Type of Sculpture
StatuetteArtwork Details
Medium
PlasterContext
Horus is a falcon deity whose name means "he who is far above." He is a powerful god associated with both the sun and the sky, but was also representative of the power and the stability of the pharaohs. Horus was one of Egypt's most popular deities, and appeared before the beginning of the first dynastic period. Horus took on both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms, and was often depicted as a falcon or as a human with the head of a falcon. The pharaohs had a close relationship with this god, as the kings of Egypt were thought to be earthly manifestations of Horus. Horus was seen as a heroic protector of the gods and Egypt in general, as myth described his victory over the evil god Seth, a figure of destruction and disorder who had usurped the original king of the gods, Osiris. One tradition asserts that the ruling pharaoh was Horus in life, and would become Osiris in the afterlife.Made/Created
Date made
305 BCE - 30 BCETime Period
Ptolemaic DynastyEthnography
Culture/Tribe
Egyptian