Zeus Ammon at the Met: A Greek-Egyptian Syncretism in Stone

🏛️ Museum Musings 🏛️ I'm at the Metropolitan Museum of Art today.

Just laid eyes on the fascinating 2nd-century bust of ‘Zeus Ammon’ and I can’t help but marvel at the blend of cultures captured in stone. As expected, you’ll find the grandeur and aesthetic of Classical Greece, but what truly captivates is the god’s syncretic figuration as the Egyptian god Ammon—notice the distinctive ram’s horns!

With the great temple of Zeus at Olympia lost to time, pieces like this offer a glimpse into how the supreme ruler of the Olympians was once revered. It’s an extraordinary testament to the interconnectedness of ancient civilizations. 

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Alexander the Great's Portrait at British Museum: Deification & Legacy in Art

Hey, y’all. I’m in the British Museum. This marble portrait represents Alexander the Great and dates back to the 2nd century B.C.E. 

Alexander, a master of propaganda, meticulously managed the various depictions of his likeness across his empire. He entrusted the production of his image exclusively to a select group of sculptors and painters. These artists depicted him as youthful, with a clean-shaven face, long hair, and a dynamic pose characterized by a turning head. This style of portraiture was somewhat adopted by Alexander’s successors, but it exerted a more significant influence on the portraits of later Hellenistic kings and private individuals. Alexander was deified during his lifetime, and following his death, he was venerated as a god in images like this one.

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