Decree in Honor of Kallimachos Ptolemaic, 39 BC Found in Thebes, Egypt Granite
In 39 BC, during the reign of Cleopatra VII, the priests of Thebes erected this granite relief to honor Kallimachos. a high-ranking military officer and administrator of the city. They reused an existing relief from Dynasty 25 (747-656 BC), preserving the winged sun disk at the top. The images of the falcon-headed god Montu (at right) and the god Amun-Re (at left), and the hieroglyphic inscription that accompanies them, but chiseling off the old dedicatory inscription. Added on either side of the deities are figures of Cleopatra and Ptolemy XV Caesarion (her son by Julius Caesar), who are named in hieroglyphs. A long bilingual text in demotic Egyptian and Greek details the many accomplishments and benefactions of Kallimachos, including his renovation of sanctuaries, sponsorship of religious festivals, and generous donations of food to the public in a time of famine. Museo Egizio, Turin Accession No. Cat. 1764 EX 2018.4.108
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