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I know this is not Ancient Egypt, but I found it of interest.
quote:Originally posted by Ausar (February 22, 2004):
St. George was not a Coptic saint but is still recognized by the Coptic Church. Some of his iconography of slaying the dragon might go back to the times where Re on the barque slew Apep.[/qb]
A fine and early wooden triptych door panel, having a multi-color and gilt painted depiction of St. George slaying the dragon. Early Russian script above each figures head identifies the scene or patron.
Saint George (c. 275/280–April 23, 303) was a soldier of the Roman Empire and later Christian martyr.
On the other hand, the tale of George and the Dragon is widely considered among secular historians to share a common theme with the ancient Greek myth of Ethiopian princess Andromeda and her saviour and later husband Perseus, slayer of the gorgon Medusa. According to this myth, Perseus beheaded Medusa and George his Dragon in a shared theme of decapitation. Perseus' meeting with Andromeda was placed in her native Ethiopia. In several versions, George meets his Dragon in Libya (North Africa west of Egypt). Both locales can be interpreted to represent distant chthonic kingdoms of magic. The saving of the king's daughter is another shared theme as is the reward-bargain exacted by the respective hero of the stories: Possession of the princess for Perseus and the mass baptism of the king's subjects for George.
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Are these altars depicted on the Greek vases really how Egyptian altars look like, and if so, what is the significance of the shape or form??
To me, they look reminiscent of the Egyptian hieroglyph for 'nub' (gold).
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Does anyone know about these altars and any connections they had with Libya??
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Top relief looks semetic to me. Especially his fringed garments. I don't believe Egyptians wore fringes. I could be wrong of course.
Posts: 165 | From: Miami Beach, Florida | Registered: Jun 2017
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quote:Originally posted by Punos_Rey: From St. Martin's Basilica, in Venice(Italy)
Thinking more about this, what would have given these medieval European artists the idea to represent Egyptians as black people? I would have thought that most Egyptians as late as the medieval Islamic period would have looked closer to how they do today. Would this portrayal have been based on earlier Greco-Roman descriptions of Egyptians as dark-skinned or something?
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