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This head of an Ammonite deity was discovered by archaeologists while excavating the citadel of Amman, the ancient capitol of the Ammonites. Perhaps this sculpted head belonged to a statue that once stood in the temple of Milcom, the chief god of the Ammonites. You can see some Egyptian influence in the way the Ammonites depicted their gods. For example, the god is wearing the atef crown typically worn by Osiris, the lord of the underworld in the Egyptian pantheon. The Ammonites may have identified Milcom with Osiris.
There is something a little disturbing about this head. Maybe it is the way the mouth is formed with thin pursed lips, or the way the very large eyes and ears are set on an otherwise small head. At least the deity sports a Magnum PI mustache, which is definitely not Egyptian! We can see in this head a blend of local and Egyptian traditions. This syncretism (the mixing of ideas or traditions) is very common in the Levant, where northern (Hittite and Mesopotamian) and southern (Egyptian) traditions exerted a powerful influence on the culture and religion of the region.
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This head of an Ammonite deity was discovered by archaeologists while excavating the citadel of Amman, the ancient capitol of the Ammonites. Perhaps this sculpted head belonged to a statue that once stood in the temple of Milcom, the chief god of the Ammonites. You can see some Egyptian influence in the way the Ammonites depicted their gods. For example, the god is wearing the atef crown typically worn by Osiris, the lord of the underworld in the Egyptian pantheon. The Ammonites may have identified Milcom with Osiris.
There is something a little disturbing about this head. Maybe it is the way the mouth is formed with thin pursed lips, or the way the very large eyes and ears are set on an otherwise small head. At least the deity sports a Magnum PI mustache, which is definitely not Egyptian! We can see in this head a blend of local and Egyptian traditions. This syncretism (the mixing of ideas or traditions) is very common in the Levant, where northern (Hittite and Mesopotamian) and southern (Egyptian) traditions exerted a powerful influence on the culture and religion of the region.