Ostracon Depicting the God Sobek
Unknown Artist
ca. 1295–1070 B.C.
Medium
Limestone, ink
Dimensions
H.12 × W. 14.3 × D. 3 cm (4 3/4 × 5 5/8 × 1 3/16 in.)
Classification
Ostracon, figured, Sobek?
Period
New Kingdom, Ramesside
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1929
Accession Number
29.2.23
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of ancient Egypt with this charming *Ostracon Depicting the God Sobek*, modest yet captivating artifact from the New Kingdom's Ramesside period (. 1295–1070 B.C., Dynasties 19–20). Crafted on a small limestone flake—measuring just 12 × 14.3 × 3 cm—this piece uses simple ink to portray Sobek, the powerful crocodile-headed deity revered as a protector of the pharaohs and lord of the Nile's fertile waters. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1929, it now the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Art collection. Ostraca like this were everyday "scratch pads" in ancient...