egypt

mommy cartonage mask

XXII^th Dynasty
late ptolémaic periode, 1^st century B.C.

The Greeks were present in Egypt well before the conquest of Alexander the Great.
It is in fact from the VII ^th century onwards that they started to settle in large communities, taking up an increasingly more role in Egyptian society. Starting as mercenaries, then traders or travelers (Herodotus), on finds them as advisors to the Pharaoh and commanders of the army in the last dynasties of Egyptian origin.

From this long intercultural contact was born a real mixed society. Many Greeks adopted local religious beliefs, mixed with their own original worship.

It is in 322 after the conquest of Alexander the Great, that the Greeks really started to rule Egypt. The General Ptolemy, a friend of Alexander the Great, was put in place to rule in 304 B.C.
This was the last dynasty of the Pharaohs ending with Cleopatra and the roman conquest.

Cartonage
Height : 15 inch