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Horus falcon figure

Late Period or Ptolemaic Period
664–30 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 130
The falcon god Horus stands with his wings swept back. He wears the double crown of Egypt, a royal crown that symbolizes the union of Lower and Upper Egypt, and highlights Horus’ role as the legitimate ruler of the entire land. The falcon wears the double crown because Horus and the concept of kingship were closely tied, as early as the Predynastic Period.

The falcon stands on a rectangular platform, which could have functioned in a number of ways. The figure could have been attached to a separate cupreous metal or wooden base, or it could have topped a standard modeled after those used in festival processions and on sacred barks. The falcon also could have sat on top of a hollow box intended for holding an animal mummy, like 41.160.107. Such falcon mummy boxes, or sarcophagi, would have been offered for deposition in animal necropoleis, not just in relation to the cult of Horus, but also more broadly in association with solar cult.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Horus falcon figure
  • Period: Late Period or Ptolemaic Period
  • Date: 664–30 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt, Northern Upper Egypt, Abydos, Egypt Exploration Fund excavations, 1898
  • Medium: Cupreous metal
  • Dimensions: H. 8.2 cm (3 1/4 in.); W. 2.5 cm (1 in.); L. 6.3 cm (2 1/2 in.)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund
  • Object Number: O.C.380
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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