Ancient CyprusAncient Cyprus

Article · 1975

The Iconography of Bes with Particular Reference to the Cypriot Evidence

Veronica Wilson

Levant 7

An article on the Egyptian god Bes and related figures, their adoption in the East and in Cyprus, with a catalogue of 19 Cypriot representations.

Wilson surveys Egyptian representations of Bes and related dwarf gods, then follows their adoption and transformation in the East and in Cyprus. She uses "Bes" as a collective name because the Egyptian dwarf gods cannot readily be distinguished. The comparison rests on Egyptian objects and texts, Levantine ivories and seals, Phoenician gems and amulets, and Cypriot sculpture, terracottas, metalwork and small finds, and the article closes with a catalogue of 19 Cypriot representations that runs from a Late Bronze Age faience bowl to Roman-period material.

Eastern forms, she argues, introduced clothing and wings, and Phoenician and Cypriot artists combined Egyptian features with local and Greek motifs. In Cyprus these borrowings make the identification of individual images uncertain. Wilson places the first Cypriot Bes in the Late Bronze Age and discusses Iron Age examples, among them objects assigned to the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, as well as Hellenistic and Roman material; she dates the Amathus colossus to the Roman period. Findspots, contexts, object features and parallels from Amathus, Enkomi, Vouni, Marion and other sites carry her proposed dates and interpretations (pp. 83–100).

The Cypriot repertoire is a mixture of eastern, Egyptian and Greek elements. Wilson discusses horned Bes figures, snake-bearing forms, master-of-animals images and composite figures, and distinguishes them from representations of Ptah as a dwarf and from other demons. She concludes that the images have no deep significance beyond a possible apotropaic function (pp. 94–100).

What it records

  • Wilson places the first appearance of Bes in Cyprus in the Late Bronze Age.p. 93
  • A faience bowl in the Cyprus Museum, catalogue No. 1, shows Bes between two figures, one of whom is dancing.p. 93
  • Wilson dates the limestone Bes figurine No. 10 to no earlier than the fifth century BCE.p. 97
  • Wilson concludes that if Cypriot Bes has any function, it is apotropaic.p. 100
  • The Rizokarpaso lamp is 23.5 cm high and bears the New York inventory number 74.51.2364.p. 102
  • The terracotta Bes figurine from Amathus Tomb 88, catalogue No. 13, is 17 cm high.p. 102
  • Three weathered limestone statues from Vouni are recorded as 64, 54 and 60 cm high.p. 102
  • The limestone colossus from Amathus, now in Istanbul, is 420 cm high.p. 103

Where to read

  • Egyptian forms and roles of Bespp. 77–83
  • Eastern and Phoenician transformations of Bespp. 83–92
  • Cypriot examples and cataloguepp. 93–103

Contents

  • Egyptian “Bes”77
  • “Bes” in the East83
  • First Appearances83
  • “Bes” in Phoenicia (homeland)84
  • “Bes” in West Phoenician Centres91
  • “Bes” in Persia92
  • “Bes” in Cyprus93
  • Conclusions100

Objects published here

9
  • Faience bowl with Bes between two figures, Cyprus Museum, Cyprus, 1 (p. 101)
  • Silver finger ring with Bes in profile, BM London, Enkomi, R999, 2, Fig. 1 (p. 101)
  • Terracotta figurine of Bes holding snakes, Louvre, Cyprus, no provenance, AM 1701, 7, Pl. XVI B (p. 102)
  • Terracotta lamp with a Bes figure as handle, New York, Rizokarpaso, Karpasia, 74.51.2364, 8 (p. 102)
  • Limestone figurine of squatting Bes with arms across the chest, Louvre, Cyprus, AM 1702, 10, Pl. XVI C (p. 102)
  • Terracotta figurine of Bes from Amathus Tomb 88, BM London, Amathus, tomb 88, 13, Pl. XVI D (p. 102)
  • Limestone sarcophagus with four Bes figures in relief, New York, Amathus, 74.51.2453, 15, Pl. XVII A (p. 103)
  • Colossal limestone statue of Bes holding a lion, Istanbul, Amathus, 16 (p. 103)
  • Terracotta matrix of a Bes-like figure bringing down a bull, Nicosia, Chytroi, 1959/XI-6/1, 18, Fig. 25 (p. 103)

People, places and institutions

People

  • “Bes”Egyptian dwarf god, subject of the study
  • PtahEgyptian god, shown as a dwarf, distinguished from Bes
  • Humbabademon compared with Bes imagery
  • ThoerisEgyptian deity associated with Bes
  • HorusEgyptian deity associated with Bes
  • HeraclesGreek hero compared with Bes imagery
  • MelqartPhoenician deity discussed with lion imagery
  • PazuzuAssyrian demon compared with Cypriot forms

Institutions

Places

  • Amathusfindspot of several Bes objects
  • Enkomifindspot of Late Bronze Age rings
  • Vounifindspot of limestone statues
  • Marionfindspot of a silver girdle plaque
  • Paleo-Kastrofindspot of a terracotta Bes head
  • Kharayebsource of Hellenistic figurines
  • Kythreafindspot of a terracotta matrix
  • Idalionfindspot of a decorated silver bowl
  • Patrikisource of horned terracotta figures

Also named: Kition, Aghirdar-Krini, Pitt Rivers.

Extent pp. 77–103, Pls. XV–XVIII, Figs. 1–3

Defines Bes

Late Bronze AgeCypro-ArchaicCypro-ClassicalHellenisticRomanFigurinesSculptureReligion and CultIconographyForeign Contacts

Cited on Ancient Cyprus

3 objects