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What it is: A marble statuette
Where it is from: Alexandria, Egypt
When it was made: At some point in between 332 and 150 B.C., throughout the Ptolemaic duration
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What it informs us about the past:
This marble statuette portrays a dwarf-dancer, which was a typical concept in ancient Mediterranean art. While examples from Greece were generally overstated or monstrous, recommending dwarves were stigmatized, this one from Egypt reveals that dwarves were honored members of the culture, rather than caricatured.
The sculpture– simply 4 inches (10 centimeters) high– portrays a naked guy whose upper body is twisted in such a way that indicates motion. His limbs are missing out on, along with the back of his head. The statuette is on screen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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The Met keeps in mind that the statuette integrates the classical Greek custom of nudity with an extremely knowledgeable making of the guy’s musculature in the later Hellenistic design which, integrated with its discovery in Egypt, recommends that there was strong interest in portraying various body enters the Ptolemaic duration. Throughout this dynasty, Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy I Soter I, a general of Alexander the Great who took control of part of the empire following the Macedonian king’s death.
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Dwarves in Egyptian culture far precede the Ptolemies. Early composed records in Egypt from 4 centuries ago reference overshadows and pygmies related to the homes of nobles and pharaohs, where they were generally held in high esteem. Part of this esteem might be connected to the Egyptian god Bes who, according to the Ashmolean Museum, is generally portrayed as being extremely brief with strong muscles and a meaningful face. Bes was a warrior and protector who supervised ladies in giving birth. He was likewise a dancer who often played the tambourine.
According to The Met, this marble dwarf-dancer, who might have held an ancient percussion instrument, is hence part of “the long Egyptian tradition in which dwarves were integrated in society and had, in general, positive associations.”
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