UNPUBLISHED MARBLE HEAD OF SERAPIS KEPT IN THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM

Document Type : research articles

Author

19th gant al alfrdaws , Kabeish Rd, King Fisal St.

Abstract

This paper deals with a marble head of Serapis, kept in the Grand Egyptian Museum (Gem.34206). The head was found in Diospolis Magna (modern Luxor); its height is about 46cm, while the width is 32cm. The head is well-preserved. It is carved in marble. The head is broken off from the bottom part of the neck, which indicates that the head probably belonged to a colossal statue of Serapis. The artistic treatment of the head, in particular the hairstyle above the forehead and also the beard, plus the lack of information concerning the find-spot of the head in Luxor which make it difficult to determine the exact date and archeological context.
All comparative examples presented in this paper indicate that this head probably represents a head of the god Serapis. The paper discusses the problem of the find-spot of the head. It suggests that the head was probably found in the site of the Roman camp

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