the God Bes,
detail from the Temple of Hathor at Philae
colossal statue (12-foot high) of Bes toying with a lion,
from Amanthus, Kypros, ca. II century bc;
now in the Archaeological Museum of Byzantion…
faience statuette of Bes,
from Abydos (Tomb D14 E), dated to the XVIII Dynasty (ca. 1550–1295 bc); now in the Metropolitan Museum…
painted wooden figure of Bes standing on a lotus, holding a tambourine and dancing;
from Khmin, ca. 1300 BCE; now in the British Museum…
statue (luna marble) of the God Bes from a fountain,
117—250 CE, from Italy; now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge…
amulets of Bes,
now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford…
Bes brandishing a sword in His right and a snake in His left, and His female counterpart, the Goddess Beset, dancing and banging a tambourine;
664-332 BCE; now in the Louvre Museum…
staff-terminal representing the God Bes;
Bes wears a Feathered Crown, and is sitting on a lotus flower, with a monkey between His feet; in His left arm He cradles an infant Bes figure.
From the necropolis of Khmoun/Shmoun (Hermopolis Megale), dated to the Late Period; now in the British Museum…
staff-terminal representing the God Bes;
Bes wears the Feathered Crown, and is sitting on a lotus flower, with a monkey between His feet; in His left arm He cradles an infant.
Dated to the Third Intermediate Period
bronze amulet of Bes playing a lute; Bes is represented standing on the shoulder of a woman with a baby, protecting her and the newborn by driving away any potential harm with the sounds of His musical instrument;
664-342 BCE; now in the Brooklyn Museum…
the God Bes,
from the Sanctuary of Hathor at Iunet
limestone relief depicting Bes brandishing a sword in His raised right hand and clenching a snake in His lowered left hand;
II century CE, now in a private collection….
bronze statuette of Bes, winged, wearing the Four Feathered Crown;
now in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin…
box of cedar wood, ebony and ivory depicting the God Bes and bearing the cartouches of King Amenhotep II;
ca. 1550-1295 BCE, now in the National Museum Of Scotland…
Bes’ heads standing on the symbol for “gold”;
from the Sanctuary of Hathor at Iunet
composite floral capital from the “House of Birth” of the Sanctuary of Hathor at Iunet; on the top is represented Bes holding lotus and papyrus flowers.
Bes holding lotus and papyrus flowers,
detail from an exterior column of the “House of Birth” of the Sanctuary of Hathor at Iunet.
Drawing from Lepsius, “Denkmäler aus Ägypten”, IV-83
Bes playing the tambourine,
detail from a column of the Temple of Hathor in the Sanctuary of Isis at Philae
faience figure of Bes,
I-III century CE, from Karanìs, Piam/Phiom region; Karanis Museum
limestone stela with four figures of Bes,
100 BCE/100 CE; now in the British Museum…
“This stela illustrates Bes’ concerns with protecting people. It was probably set up outside a house and was intended to keep away evil. Each figure of Bes brandishes a sword and a serpent”
dancing Bes alongside a seated trio of kids: a singer, a double-pipe player, and another playing a lyre with a plectrum;
332–30 BCE; now in the Metropolitan Museum…
bronze statuette of Bes with Hathoric headdress,
380-30 BCE; now in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art…
AMNTE NOFRE (Amentet Neferet) 