Relief of the Royal Ka
381–343 B.C.E. or 186–145 B.C.E.
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Object Label
According to Egyptian belief, the Royal Ka (soul) inhabited the legitimate king and migrated from the old to the new when the older king died. Some scholars have associated votive animal mummies with a ritual that strengthened the Royal Ka.
Here, an artist portrayed the Ka as a royal bust on a standard wearing a crown of ostrich feathers, cobras, and the short ram’s horns associated with Amun, king of the gods. The figure also wears a protective cobra on his forehead.
Here, an artist portrayed the Ka as a royal bust on a standard wearing a crown of ostrich feathers, cobras, and the short ram’s horns associated with Amun, king of the gods. The figure also wears a protective cobra on his forehead.
Caption
Relief of the Royal Ka, 381–343 B.C.E. or 186–145 B.C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 9 13/16 x 14 x 1 3/4 in. (25 x 35.5 x 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 67.69.2. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth, photographer))
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Relief of the Royal Ka
Date
381–343 B.C.E. or 186–145 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 30 or reign of Ptolemy VI
Period
Late Period or Ptolemaic Period
Geography
Place made: Abydos, Egypt
Medium
Limestone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
9 13/16 x 14 x 1 3/4 in. (25 x 35.5 x 4.5 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
67.69.2
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