Fragment of a Stela with a Military God

Fragment of a Stela with a Military God

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Beneath an arch supported on square pillars, only one of which is preserved, stands a frontal figure in military dress. He holds a partially broken spear in his right hand and a short attribute in his left. At the lower right are the remains of the feet, legs, and spread wings of what is presumably an eagle. Military gods were especially popular in the Roman Period. In particular, some Egyptian gods who traditionally bore falcon heads now appeared in the guise of soldiers or soldier-emperors.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fragment of a Stela with a Military GodFragment of a Stela with a Military GodFragment of a Stela with a Military GodFragment of a Stela with a Military GodFragment of a Stela with a Military God

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.