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Source Description
As early as the Old Kingdom, the ibis-headed Thoth appeared in the Pyramid Texts (ca. 2330 BCE) as god of the moon along with Iah and Khonsu. The god of wisdom, writing, and administration, Thoth embodied the moon's dynamic nature; his knowledge extended to the science of numbers, medicine, and all magical secrets.This figure combines iconographical elements which refer to several deities. The human-shaped body with long wig and uraeus above the forehead, together with a moon-disk and crescent, represents the moon god Iah. The ibis head refers to Thoth, the Atef-crown with the feathers stands for the god of the netherworld, Osiris, and the ram horns represent Amun. Because the disk can be interpreted as moon or sun-disk, it is likely that in combination with the ram horns the solar aspect of Amun, or Amun-Re, is intended. All of these different elements express the idea of the renewal of moon and sun, and therefore also of the donor of such a figure in his afterlife.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
27232
label
Figure of Thoth-Iah (Moon God)
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
6
Source metadata
id
27232
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Figure of Thoth-Iah (Moon God)
description
As early as the Old Kingdom, the ibis-headed Thoth appeared in the Pyramid Texts (ca. 2330 BCE) as god of the moon along with Iah and Khonsu. The god of wisdom, writing, and administration, Thoth embodied the moon's dynamic nature; his knowledge extended to the science of numbers, medicine, and all magical secrets.This figure combines iconographical elements which refer to several deities. The human-shaped body with long wig and uraeus above the forehead, together with a moon-disk and crescent, represents the moon god Iah. The ibis head refers to Thoth, the Atef-crown with the feathers stands for the god of the netherworld, Osiris, and the ram horns represent Amun. Because the disk can be interpreted as moon or sun-disk, it is likely that in combination with the ram horns the solar aspect of Amun, or Amun-Re, is intended. All of these different elements express the idea of the renewal of moon and sun, and therefore also of the donor of such a figure in his afterlife.
provenance
Dikran Kelekian, New York and Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 664-342 BCE (Late Period)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Metal
statuettes (statues)
imageCount
6
pageCount
6
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
12.8
height
2.6
depth
3.9
dimensionsRaw
H: 5 1/16 x W: 1 x D: 1 9/16 in. (12.8 x 2.6 x 3.9 cm); H with base: 5 13/16 x W: 1 x D: 1 15/16 in. (14.8 x 2.6 x 5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Egyptian
dynasty
26th-30th Dynasty
med
bronze
creator_ids
6182
collection_ids
EGY
exhibition_ids
2172
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
4b1109813ef8d5f9
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
296c53b4364f347f
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
79ae1019e709c7a8
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
37aa623e11e76bbb
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
52e80084b3e07763
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
4125e2bc83dd78c6
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no