Isis

Woman with child on lap

Woman with child on lap

This small limestone figurine of a woman holding a male child on her lap is only 4cm in height and dates from around 1550–1450 B.C, making it a product of the 18th Dynasty and New Kingdom era of Ancient Egypt. This little figure is a rather unique piece, as usually the bond between a child...

King Unas being suckled by a goddess

King Unas being suckled by a goddess

Fragment of a relief depicts king Unas being suckled by unidentified goddess. These reliefs are often found in temple complexes and tombs, and they serve as visual representations of the divine nature and legitimacy of the king. The concept of a king being suckled by a goddess is often seen as a metaphorical representation of...

Khonsu-mes receives libation of food and drink from the tree goddess. Papyrus of Khonsu-mes21st Dynasty, c. 1000 B.C.

Tree Goddess

In the spiritual landscape of Ancient Egypt, the sycamore tree (“nehet” in the Ancient Egyptian tongue) held a place of deep reverence. More than a mere provider of shade in the searing sun, the sycamore was seen as the Tree of Life, a sacred conduit between the earthly and the divine. It was believed to...

Frontal view of the goddess Hathor, depicted as nude

Nude Hathor

This statue of the goddess Hathor was made from Egyptian Terracotta, or Brown Nile Silt, and dates from 400-200 B.C. The Ptolemaic influence in this depiction of Hathor is easy to see, as the statue resembles the soft nude bodies of the female deities of the Mediterranean, such as Hathor and Isis’s Greek counterpart, Aphrodite....

Double seated statuette of Kinebu and Isis

Double seated statuette of Kinebu and Isis

This double seated statute of Kinebu and his wife, a singer for Amun, named Isis (Ancient Egyptian: Aset or Iset), was usurped (reused/recycled) by the pair, and originally dates from the reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390-1353 B.C. rather than the lifetime of Kinebu and Isis, who lived and died during the reign of Ramesses...

Harpocrates flanked by Isis & Nepthys

Harpocrates flanked by Isis & Nepthys

Sister goddesses, Isis and Nepthys, stand beside and hold hands with Harpocrates, the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria. Harpocrates stands in the centre, his youthfulness indicated by his nudity and the sidelock of hair worn on his head. He is flanked by Isis and Nephthys. All...

Statuette of Isis suckling Horus

Statuette of Isis suckling Horus

In this statuette of Isis suckling Horus, the goddess is seated on a throne whose hieroglyphic sign is used to write her name. She wears a lovely three-part “raven black” wig with tubular locks covering her shoulders with the remains of a vulture; it is surmounted by a mortar ringed with uraei. In its center...

Pectoral of Psusennes I

Pectoral of Psusennes I

The pectoral of Psusennes I is framed by alternating precious stones, topped by a cavetto cornice, and with a row of alternating djed pillar and tit (Isis knot) symbols at the bottom, below a row of sun-discs. A winged scarab can be seen in the middle, and a cartouche of the king above and below,...

Mirror of Isis with Horus as a baby

Mirror of Isis with Horus as a baby

This bronze mirror portrays Isis as a figure of fertility and maternity. She holds her son, Horus, who appears as a miniature adult. As the mother of Horus, the protector of the king, Isis was essentially the queen of the gods, and thus the universal mother. The form above her head looks much like the...

Statuette representing Isis and Osiris

Statuette representing Isis and Osiris

A bronze statuette of the goddess Isis with outstretched wings around her husband and brother the god Osiris. In a bloody battle, Seth dismembered Osiris and spread his remains all around Egypt. Isis searched for the fragments to make a mummy and thus bring her beloved husband to life once again. Nevertheless, certain versions of...