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The 26th Dynasty, also known as the Saite
Period, is traditionally placed by scholars at
the
end of the Third Intermediate Period or at
the
beginning of the Late Dynastic Period. In
either
case, the Saite Period rose from the ashes
of a
decentralized Egyptian state that had been
ravaged by foreign occupation. Supported
by the
assistance of a powerful family centered in
the
Delta town of Sais, the Assyrians finally
drove
the Nubians out of Egypt. At the close of
this
campaign, Ashurbanipal’s kingdom was at
the
height of its power; however, due to civil
strife
back east, he was forced to withdraw his
forces
from Egypt. Psamtik I, a member of the
family
from Sais, seized this opportunity to assert
his
authority over the entire Nile Valley and
found
his own dynasty, the 26th of Egyptian
history.
Known as the Saite Period due to the
importance
of the capital city Sais, the 26th Dynasty,
like
many before it, sought to emulate the
artistic
styles of past pharaohs in order to bolster
their
own claims to power and legitimize their
authority.
This magnificent bronze votive sculpture
represents Osiris, god of fertility, king of the
dead, and ruler of eternity. Many centuries
ago,
it might have been found inside a temple,
placed
as an offering to the mighty deity. He is
depicted
wrapped as a mummy, holding a crook and
flail.
These two attributes act as scepters
symbolic of
his divine authority over the forces of
nature. He
wears a double-plumbed atef crown,
featuring a
uraeus cobra slithering down the front and a
pair
of undulating ribbed ram’s horns emerging
from
the sides, and a false braided beard with a
curved tip. This type of beard is a symbol of
divinity while the headdress associates the
god
with the ruling pharaohs.
The legend of Osiris states that his brother
Seth,
overcome by jealousy, murdered him and
tore
his body into fourteen parts, scattering
them
across Egypt. Isis, the faithful wife of Osiris,
traversed the land and gathered all the
parts of
his body. She then cast a spell that
resurrected
her deceased husband for one night, during
which their child, Horus, was conceived.
Thus,
Osiris was the central figure of Egyptian
religion,
the god who had triumphed over death and
therefore offered the hope of rebirth and
resurrection to all men. This striking image
of
the god in his royal mummiform speaks of a
universal mystery, the unanswered
questions for
which no living man has a sure answer.
- (X.0357)
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