Statue of Viceroy of Kush, Paser, son of Minmose

Sandstone statue of the Viceroy of Kush, Paser, son of Minmose, holding a ram-headed altar, with an invocation inscribed to Amun-Ra, and prayers to Min & Isis on the back. Also, additional prayers to “Horus, lord of Nubia, and Amun-Ra on behalf of the Viceroy of Kush, Paser” feature.

A Viceroy is “the governor of a country or province who rules as the representative of a king or sovereign”. He rules over the foreign territories, for the sake of the crown, who has conquered and colonised the regions the Viceroy will control for the sake of the king. Paser, worked under the rule of king Ramesses II.

This statue was found in Abu Simbel, Ramesses II’s famous southern border temple.

The back pillar bears two columns of text containing prayers to Horus, lord of Nubia, and Amun-Ra on behalf of the viceroy of Kush, Paser. The back pillar and edges of the base have suffered much wear on the surface. The statue was broken in two when found and has since been repaired. The flesh of the statue is coloured red, the wig black and the gown white with red stripes, but these colours may have been added in modern times. There are traces of blue paint in many of the hieroglyphs.

British Museum. EA1376