Bes-Warrior. Egyptian Terracotta Figurines from the Collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

 
PIIS032103910016680-1-1
DOI10.31857/S032103910016680-1
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Affiliation:
Moscow State Lomonosov University
Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Affiliation:
Moscow State Lomonosov University
Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Affiliation: Moscow State Lomonosov University
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameVestnik drevnei istorii
EditionVolume 82 Issue 2
Pages446-472
Abstract

The article publishes and analyses six Egyptian terracotta figurines depicting the god Bes as a warrior of Graeco-Roman Period, including a unique statuette with a Greek inscription on the pedestal. All of them are kept in the storeroom of the De-partment of the Ancient East of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow. Five of them were collected by Vladimir S. Golenischev, one was in the so-called Old Collection of Moscow University. The iconography of a part of the analysed figu-rines contains a kind of ‘childish’ component inherited from the apotropaic god, pro-tector of the maternal sphere, and is associated with the ‘Horus on crocodiles’ magic steles. Another version of protective iconography includes a warlike component, ex-pressed in the military attitude of Bes. This image may have been a product of Ptole-maic propaganda, in which features of the Egyptian Bes-warrior and Bes – alter ego of the ‘Horus on crocodiles’ were successfully combined.

KeywordsGraeco-Roman Egypt, Egyptian terracottas, the god Bes, ancient Egyptian religion, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow)
AcknowledgmentThe article was prepared with the support of the grant no.19-18-00369 “The Classical Orient: culture, worldview, the tradition of studying in Russia (based on materials from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and archival sources)” of the Russian Science Foundation.
Received28.03.2022
Publication date22.06.2022
Number of characters52941
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