Zeus-Amun Greco-Egyptian fusion statues wood crafts

After the Greeks colonized Cyrenaica (now part of Libya) and established settlements in the Nile Delta, they began to associate Zeus with the supreme Egyptian god Amun-Ra, who was often depicted with the head of a ram. The characteristics of both gods are combined in this sculpture. The worship of Amun, known to the Greeks as Ammon, also spread northward to the Greek mainland, where statues and temples were erected in Delphi, Sparta, Thebes, Aphythis, and Megalopolis. The poet Pindar composed a hymn in honor of Ammon, which was inscribed on a triangular pillar in Thebes, where Ammon became the chief local deity.