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Relief Block with
Deities and Fecundity Figures. Abusir; Fifth Dynasty, reign of Sahure
(ca. 2458-2446 B.C.E.). Limestone with remains of paint; H. of left side
54 1/8 in. (137.5 cm); H. of right side 52 in. (132 cm). Staatliche Museen
zu Berlin, Ëgyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung (21784).
On three sides of the southern, subsidiary entrance portico of
Sahure's pyramid temple, deities and fecundity figures were
represented marching into the temple.
The upper register of this block shows a procession of deities
while the lower one depicts personifications of abstract terms related
to funerary offerings from Upper (southern) Egypt. The male figures,
characterized by pendulous breasts and large bellies, symbolize
fecundity and prosperity. The second woman from the right, who
personifies "Liquid as she gives all life and dominion," is depicted as pregnant.
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