The river that set the rhythm

Find the small crocodile wearing a tall crown. The shape of the animal is familiar. The crown changes how we read it. This is Sobek, an Egyptian god represented in crocodile form. Look at how a creature from the river becomes an image of power. The figurine is made from a copper alloy. Traces of gold remain at the eyes, a detail that once helped give the small head emphasis. Let your eye move from the long body towards the crown and notice how much presence can be concentrated in a modest object. The Nile shaped life in ancient Egypt. Its annual flood supported agriculture, while the river also contained animals people had reason to fear. Dependence and danger belonged to the same landscape. Sobek offers one way into that relationship. The river supplied water for growing food and was also home to animals such as crocodiles. Those two parts of the landscape come together in Sobek. Return to the crown and the eyes. The maker turned an animal from that environment into an image of a god.