Amulet of Harsaphes (Heryshef) 740–725 B.C. DIMENSIONS Height x width x depth: 6 x 0.7 x 1.7 cm (2 3/8 x 1/4 x 11/16 in.) ACCESSION NUMBER 06.2408 MEDIUM OR TECHNIQUE Cast gold Museum Fine Arts Boston The town of Ihnasya el-Medina, capital of Lower Egypt in the First Intermediate Period, returned to prominence in the Third Intermediate Period when it was the seat of a local king named Neferkara Peftjawybast. An ancient inscription now in the Cairo Museum states that he collaborated with the invading Nubian kings of Dynasty 25. This precious gold statuette, found in the pavement of the temple of Ihnasya, is one of the few surviving monuments of that ruler. It represents the local god Harsaphes, a ram deity. The Greeks identified him with Herakles (Hercules), hence the towns Classical name, Herakleopolis Magna. The god appears here in the form of a ram-headed man. As usual, the long wig masks what might otherwise be an awkward transition from human body to animal head. The rams long corkscrew horns support a tall crown with two ostrich plumes at the sides, known in Egyptian as the atef, which could be worn by the king as well as various gods, notably Osiris and Harsaphes. Cast using the lost-wax process, the gods body is svelte and elegant, simply clad in a short wraparound kilt. Chased into the underside of the base is a hieroglyphic inscription naming the ruler along with a prayer for life and protection. In back of the head is a loop for suspension so that the statuette could be worn as an amulet. Provenance From Ihnasya el-Medina (Herakleoplis Magna), hyposytyle hall of temple. 1903-1904: excavated by William Matthew Flinders Petrie for the Egypt Exploration Fund, assigned to the EEF by the Egyptian government; 1905, presented to the MFA by the EEF. (Accession date: January 1, 1905)
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 09:08:17 +0000
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