Amun—especially in his solar aspect as Amun-Re—was the king of the gods. This figure was reportedly found in his main cult center, the vast temple complex at Karnak. Ritual temple objects are rarely preserved. And as an object from a major religious center this figure is nearly unique. It is also highly unusual that a solid gold object, like this one, would not have been melted down for the metal in the intervening years. The figure weighs almost two pounds. It was created during the twenty-second dynasty, in the middle of the Third Intermediate Period. After the long rule of the Ramessid kings of Dynasties 19 and 20 had come to an end, Egypt ceased to be a single, unified state. This disruption continued for most of the twenty-second dynasty. But precious metals were still plentiful from taxation, trade, and the spoils of war. And the art of metal casting was at an all time high during the Third Intermediate Period.

In his right hand, the god holds a scimitar or sickle-sword. At the beginning of the New Kingdom, this formidable weapon was introduced into Egypt from the Near East. It soon appeared in representations of Amun, because he was the guarantor of victory on the battlefield. You may have seen depictions on temple walls that show Amun presenting a scimitar to the pharaoh as a token of victory. This image might sound familiar to an opera lover. In one scene of Verdi’s opera Aida, the Egyptian general Radames receives a sword in the temple before he goes into battle. The scene is modeled after those ancient representations.

[OPERA MUSIC]