God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II

myminifactory

The pharaoh Nectanebo II frequently claimed a profoundly intimate connection–even an intermingling–between himself and the falcon god of rulership, Horus. As a matter of fact, Nectanebo II was at the center of a cult in which he was addressed as "Nectanebo-the-Falcon," which could indeed be what is depicted by this striking conjunction of a potent falcon and the monarch. This notion seems to be reinforced by the fact that Horus is not mentioned on the base, only Nectanebo and the god Osiris-Mnevis, at whose sanctuary in Heliopolis the statue may have been set up. The composition can be interpreted as an enigmatic representation of Nectanebo's Egyptian name, Nakhthorheb: nakht, the sword held in the king's left hand; Hor, the falcon; and heb, the festival sign in the king's right hand. The final sign probably refers to the city of Hebyt, which was the location of the grand temple built by Nectanebo II for Isis, mother of Horus.