Head of a King from the Ptolemaic period

myminifactory

The Ptolemaic Empire was launched in 305 BC by Ptolemy I Soter, who boldly proclaimed himself Pharaoh of Egypt and founded a mighty Hellenistic dynasty that dominated a vast territory spanning southern Syria to Cyrene and south to Nubia. Alexandria rose as the premier capital city and a leading hub of Greek culture and commerce. To win acceptance from native Egyptian residents, they styled themselves as the heirs to the Pharaohs. The later Ptolemies adopted Egyptian customs by marrying their siblings, posed for public monuments in traditional Egyptian attire, and participated actively in Egyptian religious practices. The Ptolemaic dynasty faced fierce resistance from native uprisings and was embroiled in foreign and internal conflicts that led to the kingdom's downfall and eventual absorption into Rome. Hellenistic culture continued to flourish in Egypt throughout the Roman and Byzantine eras until the Muslim conquest. This statue is a remarkable representation of the blending of Greek and Egyptian cultures during the Ptolemaic era as the head depicted could easily belong to Zeus or Amon.