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Thoth
Egypt
664-525 B.C. (26th Dynasty)
Bronze
8 inches high
Gift of Lily Place 29.17.613

• In ancient Egyptian mythology, Thoth was the god of the moon, god of wisdom, the measurer of time, and the inventor of writing and numbers. He is credited with devising the standard 365-day year.
• The production of highly finished bronze votive statuettes increased during the 26th Dynasty, when Egypt enjoyed a brief period of independence.
• The rigid pose, SYMMETRY, and formal ATTRIBUTES of this statuette are typical of traditional Egyptian art.

Shu (shoe), the son of the sun god, Re (ray), reigned as king of Egypt for many years. When his daughter Nut (newt) fell in love with the god Geb (gebb), Shu was wildly jealous. To keep the lovers far apart, he turned Nut into the sky and Geb into the earth. Then he cursed Nut with barrenness, proclaiming that there were no months of the year in which she could give birth.

Thoth, the god of the moon, time, and measure, took pity on Nut and Geb. He challenged the reigning gods to a game of dice and soundly beat them all. As his prize he asked the gods to give him five days in addition to those that already existed. Thoth in turn presented the five extra days to the sky goddess, Nut. Because these five extra days did not belong to any particular month, they did not fall under Shu's curse. Thus, the goddess was able to use them to produce five children, including Osiris (oh-SIGH-rus) and Isis (EYE-sus).

Prior to Thoth's gift, each of the twelve months of the Egyptian calendar had 30 days, resulting in a 360-day year. Thoth's act of kindness reconciled the Egyptian calendar with the earth's actual 365-day cycle.

Thoth
Thoth had many roles. In addition to being the god of the moon, the god of wisdom, and the measurer of time, he was scribe, moralist, messenger, and supreme magician. The ancient Egyptians credited him with inventing writing. He was the patron god of all arts, sciences, and intellectual pursuits. Ancient Egyptians believed that before the dead could enter the Afterworld, their hearts were weighed against a feather of truth to determine whether they had led good and honest lives. In his role as scribe, Thoth recorded the results of each judgment.

26th Dynasty
The 26th Dynasty began in 663 B.C., when a shrewd Egyptian prince tricked the ruling Assyrians into leaving Egypt. By increasing business and trade with many neighboring cultures, including the Ionian Greeks, Egypt became a leading exporter of grain and a dominant power in the Mediterranean world. This brief period of independent rule lasted until 525 B.C., when the Persians overran Egypt.

Votive Figures
In ancient Egypt, all events, large and small, were attributed to the influence of the gods. Only through worship and offerings to these gods could humans expect to maintain balance in their lives. People placed small votive statues of gods at burial sites, inviting the gods to inhabit the sculptures and protect the deceased from evil. Other figures were used as offerings at temples. Artists mass-produced many bronze statuettes during the prosperous 26th Dynasty.

Thoth
This bronze statuette depicts Thoth in a typical manner, as a man with the head of an ibis, a large bird of the Nile. Egyptians associated the ibis's long curved beak with the moon, so the ibis was regarded as one of Thoth's earthly representatives. Thoth wears a simple loincloth and a long wig, both decorated with rows of fine lines. The holes in his hands suggest that they once held objects, probably a reed pen, an attribute of Thoth's role as a scribe, and either a palette for writing on or a staff, symbolizing his power.

Crown
Thoth's crown is filled with symbols. (See detail.) The central part is the crown of Upper Egypt worn by pharaohs, which means he was considered earthly royalty. The feathers of truth on each side of the center refer to Thoth's role in the judgment of the dead. The solar disc at the top indicates his cosmic powers, the serpents with smaller discs on the outsides symbolize his sovereignty, and the ram horns at the base attest to his strength and virility.

Style
The style and form of this seated statuette of Thoth are typical of this period in Egyptian art. Following a period of realism, artists of the 26th Dynasty emulated the more stylized traditional Egyptian art. The symmetry of the piece, Thoth's rigid pose, and the formal attributes all recall the traditional style. The naturalistic curves of Thoth's torso, arms, and legs, however, suggest the influence of Greek art during this period of great trade between the two cultures.

Look
1. Tell the story of Thoth. Does the sculpture of Thoth contain any elements of Thoth's story? (No!) The sculpture represents Thoth as a man with the head of an ibis. Egyptians associated the ibis's long curved beak with one of the things Thoth ruled. Can you guess which one? (The moon.)

2. SYMMETRY is a precisely balanced arrangement of forms on either side of an imaginary line through the center of an object. ASYMMETRY is an arrangement of forms that do not appear the same on either side of the imaginary center line. Is the Thoth sculpture symmetrical or asymmetrical? (Symmetrical.) Does the symmetry of the sculpture make it appear rigid or active? (Rigid.)

3. An ATTRIBUTE is a distinctive symbolic feature that identifies a character. Find Thoth's attributes on his crown: a solar disk (top center of crown), serpents with smaller discs (on the far outsides of the crown), and ram horns (at the base of the crown). (See detail.) Where is an ibis? (Head of an ibis takes the place of a human head on the sculpture.)

4. Where has the artist used lines on this sculpture? (On Thoth's crown, wig, and loincloth.) Look carefully at the crown. How has the artist used incised lines to indicate the different areas and objects that make up the crown? (Varied the direction of the lines.)

5. How big do you think this sculpture is? Discuss the sculpture's purpose: Egyptian people left small bronze figures like this one at temples or funeral sites to attract and please the deity represented. With this purpose in mind, how big do you think this is? Images can be deceiving! Show an object of similar size to illustrate the small size of this sculpture - eight inches high.

1. This sculpture is very small because it may have been left at a tomb to help the spirit of the deceased travel to the next world, the Afterworld. What was Thoth's role in relation to the deceased? (As scribe, he recorded the results of the judgment that determined whether a person had led a good and honest life.) Why would Thoth be helpful to a spirit traveling to the Afterworld? (Once Thoth recorded a judgment, the spirit could enter the Afterworld.)

2. In Thoth's story, Thoth gives a gif t of five days to the Egyptians, initiating the standard 365-day year. Why is a 365-day year considered standard? (The earth travels a full rotation around the sun in 365 days.) Which of Thoth's godly roles came into play when he initiated the 365-day year? (Thoth the god of wisdom intervened on behalf of the lovers Nut and Geb; Thoth the measurer of time reconciled the Egyptian calendar with the earth's actual cycle.)

3. There are small holes in each of Thoth's hands that probably once held objects that are Thoth's ATTRIBUTES. Consider Thoth's roles: god of the moon, god of wisdom, the measurer of time, and the inventor of writing and numbers. What do you think he originally held in his hands? (Although we can't know for sure, Thoth is usually portrayed with the attributes of his role as inventor of writing: a reed pen and a writing palette.)

4. The Egyptian form of writing, hieroglyphics, translates as "holy writings." Egyptians considered hieroglyphics religious and magical. Why? (Egyptian writing and numbers took on religious significance by association with Thoth.)