Étude des statuettes d'Harpocrate en terre cuite d'époque gréco-romaine

Details

Supervisors

Amoroso, Nicolas

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en histoire de l'art et archéologie, orientation générale, à finalité spécialisée: théories, gestion et sciences de l'archéologie

Abstract

enHarpocrates, child god of Graeco-Roman Egypt, enjoyed an impressive popularity during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The numerous terracotta figurines depicting the deity bear witness to the popular enthusiasm for the son of Isis, a protector of fertility and fecundity. The rediscovery of these figurines, once despised by generations of scholars, has allowed measuring their iconographical and typological diversity, which attests to the multiple functions and fields of action of the young god. Based on the study of four figurines preserved in the Musée L in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) and one in the Musée royal de Mariemont in Morlanwelz (Belgium), this master thesis tries to better understand the cult of Harpocrates, as well as its diffusion in the Mediterranean world. This requires to focus on the craftsmen and the workshops at the origin of the terracotta, as well as on their complex iconography. These elements make it possible to shed light on various aspects of the studied artefacts and to get a better evaluation of the exact role of coroplastic productions in the practice of popular cults of the Egyptian chôra.