Monday, October 24, 2016

Amathus Sarcaphogus

From Cyprus, dating to 475-450 BCE, part of the Cesnola Collection in the Met.

Ok, sure, the main panels are nice, and it's cool that some of the polychrome paint survives, showing that the thing must once have been quite gaudy.

But it's the ends that fascinate me. On one end you have four images of Astarte, a Phoenician fertility goddess.

And on the other end you have images of Bes, an Egyptian fertility god. Demonstrating that the owner was obsessed with sex and reproduction in a truly multicultural way.

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