Abstract
The iconography of the Horus cippus, an amulet popular in Egypt from the late Third Intermediate Period to Roman times (8thcentury BCE - 2nd century CE), is unexpectedly recapitulated in bronze “goddess plaques” of the 7-8th centuries CE made by Permian peoples – Finno-Ugric groups from the Ural region of northern Eurasia. The likely explanation is that both templates are descendants of the widely-diffused “Master of Animals” motif, which originated in Mesopotamia during the Ubaid period (6-5thmillennium BCE). Transfer of the Master/Mistress of Animals motif from the Near East to the Ural region probably occurred via the Scythians of the 1st millennium BCE.
Highlights
The “Master of Animals” motif, which originated in Mesopotamia in the 6-5th millennium BCE, diffused widely in the course of subsequent millennia[2], spawning derivative forms in Egypt, the Ancient Near East, the Mediterranean world and beyond
The likely explanation is that both templates are descendants of the widely-diffused “Master of Animals” motif, which originated in Mesopotamia during the Ubaid period (6-5th millennium BCE)
While many types of Permian bronze animal plaque may be purely local in concept and design, “goddess plaques” of the type exemplified by Figs. 9-11 seem to have their roots in the Ancient Near Eastern template known as the Master/Mistress of Animals
Summary
While many types of Permian bronze animal plaque may be purely local in concept and design, “goddess plaques” of the type exemplified by Figs. 9-11 seem to have their roots in the Ancient Near Eastern template known as the Master/Mistress of Animals. 9-11 seem to have their roots in the Ancient Near Eastern template known as the Master/Mistress of Animals. While many types of Permian bronze animal plaque may be purely local in concept and design, “goddess plaques” of the type exemplified by Figs. Their similarity to the popular Egyptian derivative known as the Horus cippus – a template known to have percolated back into the Ancient Near East, including northern Mesopotamia and Anatolia, – is strong. While not doubting the validity of Finno-Ugric interpretations of the goddess plaques for the peoples of the western Urals, it may be useful to recognise that these striking artworks are potentially derived from a well-travelled template of exceptional antiquity – one with a distant southern origin
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