Ra, Egyptian god of Sun bust

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This is a depiction of Re, the Egyptian deity associated with the sun. The ancient Egyptians revered him as their solar god. By the Fifth Dynasty (2494 to 2345 BCE), he had gained prominence in the Egyptian pantheon, and was primarily identified with the midday sun. In later dynasties, Re merged with Horus to form Re-Horakhty ("Re, who is Horus of the Two Horizons"). He was believed to govern all aspects of creation: the sky, earth, and underworld. His association with the falcon or hawk was well-established. During the New Kingdom, Amun rose to power, and Re was merged with him as Amun-Re. However, Akhenaten suppressed the cult of Re during the Amarna period in favor of another solar deity, Aten, the deified solar disk. Following Akhenaten's death, the cult of Re was reinstated. In Heliopolis, the cult of the Mnevis Bull, a symbol of Re, thrived, and a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls existed north of the city. Egyptians believed that all forms of life were created by Re, who brought them into existence by speaking their secret names. Alternatively, humans were thought to have been formed from Re's tears and sweat, earning the Egyptians the nickname "Cattle of Re." The myth of the Celestial Cow recounts how humanity plotted against Re and how he dispatched his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them. When she became bloodthirsty, Re calmed her by mixing beer with red dye.