Egypt
Late Period, 25^th to 30^th Dynasty, 7^th to 4^th century BCE
Red limestone with scorch marks
5.4 x 12.7 x 5.4 cm HWD
Acq. No. 020.004.0002

A type of monument typical of the Late Period and the Ptolemaic Period is the so-called Horus stela. Iconographically, they developed from the stelae depicting the protective deity Shed documented since the 18^th Dynasty. Like “Horus on Crocodiles”, Shed, “the saviour”, was a child deity who was supposed to offer protection against dangerous animals.

The Horus stelae were laid out along the same pattern. The child deity Horus can be seen standing on two crocodiles at the centre of the front side. He holds a serpent, a scorpion, a lion and a gazelle in his hands, all of them animals over which he triumphed. A large Bes mask is usually sculpted above his head. In addition, the stelae are inscribed with magical vignettes and texts on the base, the narrow sides, and the entire back. Our fragment is attached at this point. A part of the upper, rounded end of the stela is preserved. One recognises the deities Re, Horus, Osiris and Isis on the one side (from right to left and only preserved in the upper section). Their names were once inscribed over them, supplemented by their epithets, remnants of which have survived. Onuris with his feather crown can be seen on the other side, followed by Selkis, who had magical powers, with the water scorpion on his head. Onuris is an old hunting deity usually portrayed with a lance. He is often described in the texts as the “Lord of the Bloodbath” who directs his power against Egypt’s enemies. He is probably portrayed harpooning an enemy of the gods here, perhaps Apophis in the form of a serpent.
      Horus stelae are principally concerned with victory over dangerous animals and divine protection against scorpions, snakes and crocodiles. The motif of “Horus on crocodiles” refers to an episode from the well-known myth concerning the deities Isis and Osiris. It was the magically empowered goddess Isis, who hid her son Harpokrates in the papyrus thicket at Khemmis and raised him there. In this way, Horus the Child was protected from Seth’s murderous harassments and defied all other dangers that awaited him. On Horus stelae, he became a protective deity himself, assisted by Bes, who was particularly responsible for the protection of mothers and small children.

 André Wiese, 2011

Literature
H. Sternberg – El Hotabi, Untersuchungen zur Überlieferungsgeschichte der Horusstelen. Ein Beitrag zur Religionsgeschichte Ägyptens im 1. Jahrtausend v.Chr., Wiesbaden 1999, 58 f. H. Satzinger, Acqua guaritrice: Le statue e stele magiche ed il loro uso magico-medico nell’Egitto faraonico, in: A. Roccati – A. Siliotti (eds.), La magia in Egitto ai tempi dei faraoni. Atti Convegno Internazionale di Studi, Milano 29–31 ottobre 1985, Milan 1987, 189–204.