A hematite gnostic intaglio with the image of Harpocrates. He is depicted as a naked child with a finger raised on his mouth. He is seated on a lotus flower in a boat.
There are groups of wild animals engraved & arranged in threes surrounding.
The other side of the intaglio is inscribed with a magic letters in Greek “I, E, A, P, Φ, K, Ο, Γ”.

Harpocrates was the god of silence, secrets and confidentiality in the Hellenistic religion developed in Ptolemaic Alexandria. Harpocrates was adapted by the Greeks from the Egyptian child god Horus, who represented the newborn sun, rising each day at dawn.

Harpocrates’s meaning is “Horus the Child”. Horus is represented as a naked boy with his finger to his mouth, a realisation of the hieroglyph for “child” (?). Misunderstanding this gesture, the later Greeks and Roman poets made Harpocrates the god of silence and secrecy.

Egyptian deities are often represented on magical gems. One of the most interesting figures is the image of Harpocrates seated on a lotus flower, called ‘the young sun’. This figure had a solar nature and a protective function.

CONDITION: Well preserved. The item is described to the best of our knowledge. Please refer to the pictures and email with any questions.