Bronze figurine of the god Harpokrates

This bronze figurine represents the god Harpokrates, the Greek version of the Egyptian child god Horus. It is inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphs on the right side of the base: 'Harpokrates grant ... to Us-ankh, son of Pethy' and on the other three sides in Phoenician: 'May Harpokrates give life to Amos, son of Esmunyaton, son of Azarmikk'. This is a votive object, offered to a deity with prayers for the god's favour or help. The Greeks created the name of Harpokrates from the Egyptian 'Har-pa-khered', literally 'Horus-the-child'. He acted as an amuletic force warding off dangerous creatures. In the Phoenician world he was a popular deity. The Phoenicians were closely connected to Egypt by both geography and trade, and adopted many Egyptian deities.