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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThis limestone relief shows two baboons, associated with the god Thoth, raising their hands in a gesture of worship toward a central solar motif. Between them, a scarab beetle representing the morning sun god Khepri rests above a circular base that symbolizes the emergence of creation from the underworld. The presence of the Wedjat eye, a potent symbol of protection and wholeness, highlights the scene's ritual importance in ensuring the daily rebirth of the sun.
This relief exemplifies the Egyptian cosmological preoccupation with the daily cycle of solar regeneration and the preservation of cosmic order (Ma'at) through ritual action. The imagery reflects the foundational Egyptian beliefs that influenced later Hermetic and Neoplatonic traditions regarding the divinity of light and the cyclical nature of the soul's journey.
Corpus Hermeticum
The solar-centric theology and focus on the cyclical renewal of nature in this relief anticipate the Hermetic focus on the 'reborn' intellect (palingenesis) and the divinity of the solar logos.
Object
Limestone
religious
Digital Source
Unknown · Public domain
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 14, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.