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Birds

sacred to

15. Shrew-mouse, sacred to Horus (?), examples of which are commoner in bronze than in faïence.

16. Ichneumon. Examples in bronze, in which the animal wears disk and horns and plumes, are known, but figures in faïence are rare.

17. Crocodile, sacred to Sebek; examples in bronze and faïence are fairly common.

18. Vulture

sacred to Mut; figures of this bird in

the gods. bronze and faïence are few.

19. Hawk

sacred to Horus; votive figures are made of bronze, stone, and wood, and the hawk wears either the crown of Upper or Lower Egypt, or both crowns united. In smaller figures worn for ornament, it wears a disk (B.M. No. 1889) or , (B.M. No. 1850), or plumes (B.M. No. 1859); it is often man-headed, when it represents the soul,

A, and sometimes two hawks are on one pedestal, and

each has the head of a man. A form of Horus, worshipped in Arabia under the name of Sept, is often found in hard stone and wood; figures made of the latter material are generally found on the small chests which cover the portions of human bodies placed in the pedestals of Ptah-Seker-Ausår figures. When complete they have plumes on their heads.

20. Ibis, sacred to Thoth; figures in bronze and faïence are not rare.

21. Frog and Toad. Figures of both reptiles are common in bronze and faïence.

22. Fish . The five kinds of fish of which figures in bronze and faïence are known are the Oxyrhynchus, Phagrus, Latus, Silurus, and the Lepidotus; of these the Oxyrhynchus, Silurus, and Lepidotus are the commonest. The Oxyrhynchus fish, B.M. No. 1953, has on its back horns, disk, and uræus; fish were sacred to Hathor, Isis, Mut, and other goddesses.

23. Scorpion, sacred to Serqet. Figures in bronze have often a woman's head on which are horns and disk, and if mounted, the sides of the base have inscriptions upon them which show that the scorpion was regarded as Isis-Serqet. Faïence figures of this reptile are tolerably numerous.

Uræusor serpent, sacred to or emblem of Meḥen,

or Merseker,; figures in bronze and

faïence are not rare.

Scarab, emblem of the god Cheperȧ (see p. 234). The largest scarab known is preserved in the British Museum (Southern Egyptian Gallery, No. 74), and is made of green granite; it was probably a votive offering in some temple, and was brought from Constantinople, whither it was probably taken after the Roman occupation of Egypt. The scarabs worn for ornament round the neck, and in finger-rings, were made of gold, silver, every kind of precious stone known to the Egyptians, and faïence. B.M. No. 11,630 is an interesting example of a horned scarab; B.M. No. 2043, in faïence, has the head of a hawk, and B.M. No. 12,040 has the head of a bull.

FIGURES OF KINGS AND PRIVATE PERSONS.

Figures of kings and private persons were placed in temples or tombs either by the persons they represented, or by those who wished to do honour to them. Figures of Uses of kings occupied prominent places in the temples, and services statues. were performed before them, and offerings made to them as to the gods, among the number of whom kings were supposed to have entered. The Rosetta Stone states (ll. 39-42) that the priests of all Egypt decreed that a figure or statue of Ptolemy V. Epiphanes, should be placed in the most conspicuous part of every temple, that the priests should thrice daily perform services before it, and that sacred decorations should be placed upon it. The custom of placing such figures in temples and tombs is as old as the IVth dynasty at least, for many examples of this period are known; as we are certain that religious services were held in tombs during

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statues.

the earlier dynasties, figures of deceased persons must have
been placed in them, and it would seem that the custom is as
old as the settlement of the Egyptians in Egypt. Votive Votive
figures of the gods were rarely colossal, but figures of kings
were made of every size, and their heights vary from a few
inches to several feet; the colossi of Amenophis III., of
Heru-em-Heb, and of Rameses II., are examples of the
extreme size to which figures of kings attained. In the
earlier dynasties there can be no doubt that the artist
endeavoured to make the form and features of the figure
exactly like the person for whom it was made; how well
they succeeded is evident from the most cursory examination
of the figures of the first six dynasties exhibited in European
museums, or in the Museum of Gizeh, which is particularly

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rich in figures of this period. The famous Shêkh el-Beled is what may well be termed a "speaking likeness," and the other figures of that date show that he is not a solitary success of the Egyptian artist. In later times conventional representation was adopted in forming the figure, with the result that the sculptor lost the art of portraiture once and for all. Figures were made of granite, basalt, and other hard stones, limestone, gold, silver, bronze, wood, steatite, faïence, and terra-cotta. Standing figures have the arms placed at the sides of the body,and the hands usually hold a roll; sometimes, however,

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