Surfing on Crocodiles

By
Marina Escolano-Poveda
Marina Escolano-Poveda is a Fulbright scholar and Ph.D. candidate in Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins. Her research focus is Demotic and Greek Papyrology and the study of the literature, religion, and society of Graeco-Roman Egypt. She is currently part of the team of the Mummy Label Database Project of the Spanish National Research Council and the University of Chicago, and editor of the collection of Demotic papyri of the Abbey of Montserrat (Barcelona, Spain).

Surfing on Crocodiles: The Amulet-Stela of Horus on the Crocodiles (2231 D)

2231DThe stelae of Horus, also known as cippi of Horus or “Horus on the Crocodiles,” are a particular type of healing and protective statues that appeared in Egypt in the 18th Dynasty and were in use until the Roman Period. They are characterized by a central representation of Horus as a young boy, holding in his hands a series of dangerous animals, such as snakes, scorpions, lions, etc. On the back they are inscribed with magical texts. These stelae developed into specimens of smaller size that could be carried to protect their owners. This talk will present my research on the amulet-stela 2231 D, which is one example of these portable cippi. It will explore the style of the carving on the obverse, and the text on its reverse, to find its place in the artistic tradition of this type of amulets.

 

 

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