Size matters: Reconsidering Horus on the crocodiles in miniature
A Horus cippus is a specific type of magical stele thought to provide protection from wild animals. Horus cippi were available in a variety of sizes, ranging from small enough for an individual to wear as an amulet or otherwise carry around on his or her person, to large enough to erect and dedicate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
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Presses universitaires du Midi
2011-10-01
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| Series: | Pallas |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/pallas/2124 |
| Summary: | A Horus cippus is a specific type of magical stele thought to provide protection from wild animals. Horus cippi were available in a variety of sizes, ranging from small enough for an individual to wear as an amulet or otherwise carry around on his or her person, to large enough to erect and dedicate as a monument in the courtyard of a temple. This chapter focuses on the small, portable Horus cippi that travellers and pilgrims carried with them on their journeys. I will argue against the use of prejudicial and inaccurate terminology such as ‘miniature’ and ‘monumental’ to describe the different sizes, and show that this variation reflects a continuum between the religious and domestic spheres, with people adapting institutional religious practices for their own pragmatic purposes. I will also argue with reference to the illustrations and inscriptions that the changing form of the Horus cippus represents a changing function. |
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| ISSN: | 0031-0387 2272-7639 |