Heracles Smiting Acheloos in the Form of a Bull
Coptic
1 of 9
Object Label
In pagan Egyptian tombs, the deceased was often identified with suitable figures in Greco-Roman mythology. This was particularly apparent in the relief decoration of arches designed to curve out and over the heads of visitors to the public part of the tomb. Like the fragmentary examples here, they might show the god of the Nile to recall an authoritative family man, or a nymph to symbolize a young woman. Some wall reliefs, such as the example here showing Hercules as a mature hero, probably served the same commemorative purpose.
Caption
Coptic. Heracles Smiting Acheloos in the Form of a Bull, ca. 300–500 C.E.. Limestone, 13 x 14 15/16 x 4 1/2 in. (33 x 38 x 11.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 61.128. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Culture
Title
Heracles Smiting Acheloos in the Form of a Bull
Date
ca. 300–500 C.E.
Period
Late Antique Period
Geography
Place found: El Behnasa (Oxyrhynchus), Egypt
Medium
Limestone
Classification
Dimensions
13 x 14 15/16 x 4 1/2 in. (33 x 38 x 11.5 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
61.128
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