In the Middle Ages, very little was known about the culture of Ancient Egypt in Europe. Crusaders and pilgrims who visited this amazing country told about the huge pyramids, about the sphinx and about the statues of gods with bird and animal heads.
The Europeans took up seriously the culture and history of Ancient Egypt during the famous campaign of General Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798-1801. And although this campaign ended unsuccessfully for the French, Napoleon's Egyptian expedition sparked an increase in interest in the ancient history of Egypt. As a result of the expedition, a huge number of historical monuments were collected and taken to Europe. Part of the "trophies" of the great Corsican is now kept in the Louvre. And among them is a graceful golden statuette depicting the main gods of the ancient Egyptian pantheon: Osiris, Isis and Horus.
In the ancient Egyptian texts, it is said that Osiris was the eldest son of the earth god Heb and the sky goddess Nut, as well as the brother and husband of Isis. He was the fourth of the gods who reigned on earth in the original times, inheriting power from his great-grandfather, the sun god Ra. Owning Egypt, Osiris taught people agriculture, gardening and winemaking. But he was killed by his envious brother Set, who wanted to rule Egypt in his place. Osiris' wife, Isis, found her husband's corpse and began to mourn him. The god Ra, taking pity, sent the jackal-headed god Anubis, who helped to collect the body of Osiris, cut into pieces, embalmed it and swaddled it in linen. It was Anubis who is considered to be the first who made a mummy - the incorruptible body of a deceased person.
From her husband's mummy, Isis, who turned into a female falcon, gave birth to a son - the god Horus with the head of a falcon. After a long litigation, Horus was recognized as the heir to Osiris and took the kingdom from the god Set. He resurrected Osiris, but he refused to return to earth and remained the king of the dead, giving his son Horus the right to rule the kingdom of the living. That is why all the Egyptian pharaohs were from the god Horus.
The golden statuette, made, according to historians, during the reign of the XXII dynasty in Ancient Egypt (945-720 BC), depicts three gods. Isis and Horus stand in full height on a gold stand decorated with lapis lazuli. God Osiris is in the center of the composition. He sits with his legs tucked in on a high pedestal made of lapis lazuli and gold and decorated with hieroglyphs. On the head of Horus is the crown of the pharaohs, the head of Isis is adorned with a headdress in the form of a solar disk, framed by cow horns. The crown of Osiris, according to ancient Egyptian mythology, is made from the stems of sacred papyrus.
The gold statuette kept in the Louvre is small in size - 17.5 centimeters high and 6.6 centimeters long. The faces of all three gods depicted on it are very expressive. They radiate strength and tranquility. Isis and Horus bring their hands to Osiris sitting on the pedestal, as if receiving divine energy from him. This wonderful piece of jewelry, made almost 3 thousand years ago, continues to delight the eyes of everyone who visited the Louvre today.
Magazine: Mysteries of History №36. Author: Vasily Patrikeev