Relief Plaque Depicting the God Horus as a Falcon from the Late Period or Ptolemaic Period of Ancient Egypt (about 664–30 BCE)

Horus, shown as a falcon or a falcon-headed man, was one of the most important gods of the Egyptian pantheon. First appearing about 3000 BCE, Horus continued to be revered through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Each Egyptian king was considered to be the “Living Horus on Earth.” The king would often wear a double crown, which symbolised rule over both Northern and Southern Egypt. Here Horus is shown wearing such a crown, confirming the king’s shared identity with the god. Behind Horus is the disc of the sun, protected by a uraeus, a snake symbolising royalty, from which hangs an ankh, the sign for life.