This first- or second-century C.E., two-and-one-half-inch silver figure with gold chain from Roman London illustrates the reach of Egyptian culture in the ancient world. The statue is a representation of the infant Egyptian god Horus, known to Romans as Harpocrates, who was the son of Isis and Osiris. Though originating in Egypt, the cults of Isis, Osiris and Horus became nearly universal throughout the Roman Empire. Isis was regarded as the mother of all gods, and Osiris, her spouse, was the god of the underworld. Horus was generally represented by a hawk, and indeed a small hawk is at […]
