Category: Egyptian Artifacts

This is certainly an interesting stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 for sure! This stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 is made of limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 but the craftsmanship is kind of…off! This is very typical for work from the time period (1st Century B.C.E. – 4th Century A.D.). During the Greek and Roman periods, objects like amulets 𓊐𓊪𓅆𓏪, stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪, statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪, and more were so mass produced that the craftsmanship suffered. Let’s take a look at what is going on!

The first thing I noticed is that there are no hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on this stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸! So the only way to “decipher” it is by looking at who is depicted! At the top, you can see the winged 𓂧𓌳𓏏𓆃 sun disk 𓇳𓏺, a symbol of life 𓋹𓈖𓐍 and regeneration. Beneath the sun disk 𓇳𓏺 are two 𓏻 snakes 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆘𓏪 and the “ankh 𓋹,” which is the symbol for life 𓋹𓈖𓐍! While crudely carved, this is a very typical design to see on the top of a stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸.

In the middle panel, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 (middle) is presenting the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 (right) to Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 (left). This scene is a very typical one that you would see on a stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸! During the Roman times, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 was viewed as the “conquerer of death,” and was depicted a lot with the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 person in artwork.

On the bottom panel, it is inferred that Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 (left) and Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 (right) are pictured in a mourning stance. I say “inferred” because usually when Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥 and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 are pictured, they have their crowns on their head which make them very easy to recognize! Here they do not, however, there might be a tiny indication of a crown on Isis’ 𓊨𓏏𓁥 head (though it is hard to see). I think the crowns are missing because the artist ran out of room!!