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Ram-Headed God

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

The Egyptians represented the creator god Khnum with the head of a long-horned ram on a human body. Particular individual rams were treated as deities in life. As incarnations of the god, they were then mummified at death and buried with great ceremony.
MEDIUM Bronze
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES 664-332 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 30
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 3 1/2 x 1 x 1 3/4 in. (8.9 x 2.5 x 4.4 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.682E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Seated ram-headed deity in bronze. The god wears a shendyt kilt. Both hands are held, clenched in fists, atop his knees. A break atop his head indicates that he was once crowned with some object, probably a solar disk. If so, he might be identified as either Amun-Re or Khnum-Re.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Ram-Headed God, 664-332 B.C.E. Bronze, 3 1/2 x 1 x 1 3/4 in. (8.9 x 2.5 x 4.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.682E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth,er), 37.682E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 37.682E_Gavin_Ashworth_photograph.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph (Gavin Ashworth, photographer), 2012
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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