Egyptian carving of dwarf demon Bes, taken 1989

  • Carole Reeves
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view Egyptian carving of dwarf demon Bes, taken 1989

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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Egyptian carving of dwarf demon Bes, taken 1989. Carole Reeves. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Egyptian carving, dwarf demon Bes, taken in 1989 Shows the dwarf demon, Bes, who become very popular during the New Kingdom (1570-1070 BCE) and later periods as a helpful deity, being the protector of women in childbirth and of children. Bes gods have large heads, long trunks and bandy legs. Originally, they wore on their back a lion skin but in this picture (as in most later representations), only the ears and tail remain. some scholars have suggested that Bes gods represent cretinous dwarfs but their hybridisation of human and animal features was probably stylistic. Relief on a column from the temple at Dendara, Graeco-Romas Period (332 BCE - CE 395).

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