Naga: Did you mean...?

Material Objects & Cultures Material objects convey volumes about the people who possessed them. Cultures and societies in every generation are in part classified - either correctly or incorrectly - by the objects or symbols they select...

A sandstone relief panel from the Dashavatara temple, Deogarh, Madhya Pradesh, India. 6th century CE. Here Vishnu descends on Garuda, his eagle mount, in order to free the elephant Gajendra from a naga king and queen.

Setau, a viceroy of Nubia for Ramesses II, assumes the pose of Osiris, god of the afterlife. His crossed hands claps a djed (right) and tit (left), symbols of performance and life linked to Osiris and consort Isis. Below, the sky goddess...

This amulet, in the form of a scarab beetle with a human face, was intended to ensure that the deceased passed safely through the judgment which would establish whether or not he was deserving eternal life. It is inscribed with an early version...