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What it is : A marble statuette
Where it is from : Alexandria , Egypt
A small marble statue of a dwarf from Ptolemaic Egypt
When it was made : Sometime between 332 and 150 B.C. , during the Ptolemaic period
Related:2,000 - yr - old RSVP : A birthday invitation from the Roman frontier that has the early bonk Latin indite by a adult female
What it order us about the past times :
This marble figurine render a dwarf - professional dancer , which was a common motif in ancient Mediterranean artistic creation . But while example from Greece were ordinarily exaggerated or antic , suggesting dwarves were stigmatized , this one from Egypt shows that midget were honored member of the cultivation , rather than caricatured .
The carving — just 4 inches ( 10 centimeters ) tall — depicts a nude human being whose body is twist in a way that imply movement . His weapons system and legs are missing , as well as the back of his head . The figurine is on show at theMetropolitan Museum of Artin New York City .
The Met notes that the statuette combines the classic Greek custom of nudity with a highly skilled rendering of the valet de chambre ’s muscular structure in the late Hellenic dash which , combine with its discovery in Egypt , paint a picture that there was strong interest in depict unlike human body type in the Ptolemaic period . During this dynasty , Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy I Soter I , a general ofAlexander the Greatwho occupy over part of the empire following the Macedonian king ’s last .
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But dwarf in Egyptian culture far predate the Ptolemies . Early written platter in Egypt from four millennium ago mentiondwarfs and pygmiesassociated with the households of nobles and Pharaoh , where they were normally prevail in high-pitched esteem . Part of this esteem may be related to theEgyptian immortal Beswho , according to the Ashmolean Museum , is usually depicted as being very short with strong muscles and an expressive face . Bes was a warrior and protector who watch over women in childbirth . He was also a dancer who often played the tambourine .
accord to The Met , this marble nanus - dancer , who may have held an ancient percussion instrument , is thus part of " the prospicient Egyptian tradition in which gnome were integrated in society and had , in general , positive tie . "
