Stela of Two Deified Men(?)
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Object Label
The small figure in the lower right is a pharaoh offering to four small Egyptian deities and two large figures holding bows and signs of life, probably deified humans. It has been suggested they are the brothers Pedisi and Pihor, Nubian princes deified after death. They were the major focus of the cult in the Temple of Dendur, a site in lower Nubia where Egyptian deities were also worshiped. The Dendur Temple was built between 23 and 10 B.C., when Egypt controlled lower Nubia and the Emperor Augustus was pharaoh of Egypt.
The style of the stela's figures, their facial features, and the bold carving and heavy forms are related to many works in Egypt of late Ptolemaic (first century B.C.) and Roman times. However, this style is also found in contemporary works from Egyptian-controlled lower Nubia, and the stela is of Nubian sandstone.
Caption
Egyptian; Nubian. Stela of Two Deified Men(?), late 1st century B.C.E.–early 1st century C.E.. Sandstone, 34 5/16 x 31 7/16 x 4 5/16 in. (87.2 x 79.9 x 10.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 76.8. Creative Commons-BY
Title
Stela of Two Deified Men(?)
Date
late 1st century B.C.E.–early 1st century C.E.
Period
Roman Period
Geography
Possible place collected: Northern region, Egypt
Medium
Sandstone
Classification
Dimensions
34 5/16 x 31 7/16 x 4 5/16 in. (87.2 x 79.9 x 10.9 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
76.8
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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