The characteristics of animals were of symbolic importance, and it is thought that the zoomorphic depictions of gods developed from observation of the natural world, where the ‘otherness’ of animals implied a link to the divine. The religious symbolism of animals is evoked throughout visual and material culture. Sacred animals act as embodiments of a god whose characteristics can be expressed in that animals’ form, as can be seen in the display looking at Gods in Ancient Egypt. For example, the lion manifests the aggression of the goddess Sakhmet.
![Relief tile depicting a horse rider (Horus) spearing an oryx (Seth). Roman Period, 300-395 AD. Faience. [ECM 2166];](https://collections.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/ecm2166_front1-1024x925.jpg)
This tile represents the fusion of Egyptian gods with the visual culture of the Roman Empire. The rider depicted here is Horus, and the oryx he has defeated is the god Seth. Seth embodied chaos and violence and was a god of the deserts, storms, disorder and warfare. He murdered his brother Osiris, the King of Egypt, and then battled with Osiris’ son Horus over the succession of the throne. The mythology was recounted in The Contending of Horus and Seth, a Ramesside text from the 12th Dynasty. There are no other known versions depicting Horus and Seth in this way.
![Cosmetic dish in the form of a bound oryx. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390-1352-BCE. Steatite. [ECM 799]](https://collections.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/ecm799_reverse4-1024x681.jpg)
![Cosmetic dish in the form of a bound oryx. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, 1390-1352-BCE. Steatite. [ECM 799]](https://collections.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/ecm799_obverse2-1024x681.jpg)
Seth (also known as Set), often shown in a canine form, is also depicted as an oryx as seen in the large faience tile and the small cosmetic dish, or spoon. The Scimitar oryx, Oryx dammah, was a type of antelope that is now extinct in the wild. They lived in arid and desert climates and so became associated with Seth, god of deserts. When shown bound and trussed the oryx becomes a symbol of control of chaos, with the oryx an acceptable offering of the enemy of Horus.
Gods in animal form were worshipped using amulets and votive statues. In temples, they were additionally venerated in a carefully selected live animal as the embodiment of the god. These sacred animals lived in the temple grounds and when they died they were mummified and interred in dedicated crypts and cemeteries called Animal Necropolises. This custom demonstrates the value placed on the symbolic relationship between animals and gods, but some believe it may have contributed to the disappearance of native species from Egypt. For example, there are four million ibises, representing the wisdom and magic of Thoth, buried in the necropolis at Saqqara.
![Figure of a striding ibis. Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 BCE. Copper alloy, travertine, and gold. [ECM 1692]](https://collections.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/ecm1692_side2_3-1024x681.jpg)
![Figure of a striding ibis. Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 BCE. Copper alloy, travertine, and gold. [ECM 1692]](https://collections.etoncollege.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/02/ecm1692_side1_10-1024x681.jpg)
The African Sacred Ibis (Threskionis aethiopicus) is a manifestation of the god Thoth. God of wisdom, writing, justice and divine knowledge, Thoth’s other animal form was a baboon, as seen in GODS. The ibis on a perch commonly formed part of the hieroglyph for Thoth.
The Tilapia fish, Oreochromis niloticus (also known as the Nile Tilapia, Tilapia Nilotica), was a symbol of rebirth. As a mouth-breeding species of fish, where the eggs and young are carried in the mouth, it appeared as spontaneous birth and rebirth. The themes of rebirth and fertility also link the tilapia to the goddess Hathor. Fish were believed to be sacred as they accompanied Ra, swimming beside his barque through the underworld.
Bowl with marsh scene
New Kingdom, early 18th Dynasty, 1475-1448 BCE. Faience. [ECM 1646]
Each feature of this bowl combines to create a powerfully symbolic object. It depicts a marsh scene, painted in black, with tilapia fish carrying lotus plants in their mouths. The centre of the bowl is a body of water, and the underside is decorated with a large blue lotus. Themes of rebirth and fertility and a connection to Hathor are emphasised through the depiction of the tilapia fish, the marshes and the lotus, and the use of vibrant blue faience.
Popular in the 18th Dynasty when tilapia were common motifs of rebirth, these bowls were placed in tombs and presented as votive offerings to Hathor. Used as a drinking vessel they would have held wine or milk (in connection with Hathor’s cow form). They were also used as cosmetics dishes, containing perfumes and salves.
Bowl with marsh scene
View from side
New Kingdom, early 18th Dynasty, 1475-1448 BCE. Faience. [ECM 1646]
Bowl with marsh scene
View of bottom
New Kingdom, early 18th Dynasty, 1475-1448 BCE. Faience. [ECM 1646]
Tilapia fish vessel
New Kingdom, mid-18th Dynasty, ca.1450-1400 BCE. Steatite. [ECM 1785]
This object is a small vessel with detailed incised decoration for the fish’s scales, fins and features. Drilled holes imply that it was suspended vertically, to keep perfume or other cosmetic oils inside. Vessels in this detailed form would have been used in an elite household or placed in a tomb to provide cosmetics in the afterlife.
Tilapia fish vessel
New Kingdom, mid-18th Dynasty, ca.1450-1400 BCE. Steatite. [ECM 1785]
Scarabs symbolised new life and creation, and from the Middle Kingdom scarabs were commonly used as amulets. The Scarabaeus sacer, a dung beetle, was believed to symbolise the sun god Ra’s heavenly cycle in rolling their dung for food and for laying eggs. They were soon popular as jewellery or seals for securing and authenticating documents.
Amethyst and gold scarab ring
View of underside
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, 1985-1773 BCE. Precious stone and gold. [ECM 1846]
The underneath is carved to create a seal with a decorative spiral pattern and the hieroglyphs for ‘wsr nfr’ (power/wealth and good/beautiful).
Amethyst and gold scarab ring
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, 1985-1773 BCE. Precious stone and gold. [ECM 1846]
This gold wire ring with amethyst has been carved to form a scarab and a seal on the base.
Amethyst and gold scarab ring
View from side
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, 1985-1773 BCE. Precious stone and gold. [ECM 1846]
Amethyst in natural form
The deep purple of this amethyst suggests that it came from the ancient quarries at Wadi el-Hudi, known for its darker stone that was mined predominantly in the 12th Dynasty.
