Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The relief, transported to Rome during the imperial age, was rediscovered on the Aventine Hill in 1709, and around 1750 Pope Benedict XIV (1675-1758) donated it to the Istituto delle Scienze in Bologna along with other Egyptian artefacts and various antiquities.

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The slab originally belonged to the temple dedicated to the god Atum at Heliopolis. The leading figure of this scene, carved with great attention to detail, is the pharaoh Nectanebo I (380–362 BC) who, kneeling, offers jewellery and fabrics to a number of demon-guardians, positioned on tall pedestals and threateningly brandishing long knives. With the exception of a demon that looks like a lion, the other three have identical bodies and different heads: an open-jawed crocodile, a crocodile with its jaws closed, and one composed of three snakes. The hieroglyphics completing the scene tell us that the pharaoh is thanking them for granting him power and victories in Egypt and over foreign populations.

Provenance: Heliopolis, tempio di Atum. Rome, Monte Aventino. University Collection
Datation: 30th dynasty, reign of Nectanebo I (380–362 BC)
Material: Dolerite
Dimensions: cm 90 x 98
Inventory #: EG