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.
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