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The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite
Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at the
end of the Third Intermediate Period or at the
beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In either
case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes of a
decentralized Egyptian state that had been
ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported by the
assistance of a powerful family centered in the
Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally drove
the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of this
campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at the
height of its power; however, due to civil strife
back east, he was forced to withdraw his forces
from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the family
from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert his
authority over the entire Nile Valley and found
his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian history.
Known as the Saite Period due to the importance
of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty, like
many before it, sought to emulate the artistic
styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster their
own claims to power and legitimize their
authority.
This magnificent bronze votive sculpture
represents Osiris, god of fertility, king of the
dead, and ruler of eternity. Many centuries ago,
it might have been found inside a temple, placed
as an offering to the mighty deity. He is depicted
wrapped as a mummy, holding a crook and flail.
These two attributes act as scepters symbolic of
his divine authority over the forces of nature. He
wears a double-plumbed atef crown, featuring a
uraeus cobra slithering down the front and a pair
of undulating ribbed ram’s horns emerging from
the sides, and a false braided beard with a
curved tip. This type of beard is a symbol of
divinity while the headdress associates the god
with the ruling pharaohs.
The legend of Osiris states that his brother Seth,
overcome by jealousy, murdered him and tore
his body into fourteen parts, scattering them
across Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris,
traversed the land and gathered all the parts of
his body. She then cast a spell that resurrected
her deceased husband for one night, during
which their child, Horus, was conceived. Thus,
Osiris was the central figure of Egyptian religion,
the god who had triumphed over death and
therefore offered the hope of rebirth and
resurrection to all men. This striking image of
the god in his royal mummiform speaks of a
universal mystery, the unanswered questions for
which no living man has a sure answer.
- (X.0357)
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