The BA Displays a Rare Stele of King Ptolemy X
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For the first time since the inauguration of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) in 2002, the BA Antiquities Museum, affiliated to the Cultural Outreach Sector, will display a rare stela depicting King Ptolemy X worshiping the god Sobek. This comes in the light of the joint and fruitful cooperation between the BA and the Supreme Council of Antiquities affiliated to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
This tablet is of a great archaeological value because it depicts the Ptolemaic King in the ancient Egyptian royal garb. This indicates the willingness of the Ptolemaic kings of Greek origin to be depicted in this manner, whether as statues, on tablets with texts on their surfaces or walls of temples, emulating their idol, Alexander the Great. Moreover, the Ptolemaic King is depicted worshiping an ancient Egyptian god, Sobek, which indicates the respect and appreciation Ptolemaic kings had for ancient Egyptian religion and its deities.
The stela, discovered in Fayoum, is with an arched top depicting a winged sun disk flanked by two cobras. On both sides of the main scene are two columns. King Ptolemy X is depicted standing on the right side, offering sacrifices to Sobek, the crocodile god, and holding a vessel in his left hand, while his other hand is in a worshiping position. The King is depicted in the ancient Egyptian form, stepping forward with his right leg. In the middle of the scene is an offering table with two amphorae underneath. The crowned crocodile is sitting on a Naos. The lower part of the stela bears a twelve-line inscription in ancient Greek.