# Statue of Horus

- By: Ancient Egyptian
- Date: Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE)
- Medium: Basalt
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: 52 × 48.5 × 18.8 cm (20 1/2 × 19 × 7 3/8 in.)
- Culture: Egypt
- Credit line: Gift of the Alsdorf Foundation
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/180206)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/6a766b86-824d-239b-e3b8-eea48af968ee/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

From the appearance of the first kings in Egypt (about 3000 BCE), the ruler was considered to be the earthly manifestation of Horus, the god of divine kingship. Statues of Horus in the form of a falcon like this one were displayed in temples as part of the royal cult, which celebrated the ruler’s role as an intercessor between humans and gods.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0