Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

part iv | migrations of cultures
a symbol of fertility and the life-giving forces of nature. He was depicted as an ugly,
naked dwarf with prominent genitals. Statuettes of Bes have been found in Khorezm
(at Bazarkala) and at Afrasiab (Samarkand), and in the territory of Northern Bactria
(at the Tupkhana burial ground).
Figurines of a bald, naked man made of blue faience have been found in a number
of burial grounds and ancient sites in Central Asia (e.g., Tupkhana and Rabat).
Scholars believe they are amulets depicting Ptah-Sokar, a god combining two
hypostases – that of Ptah, guardian of the ruling clan in the sacred Egyptian city of
Memphis and creator of the world; and Sokar, the god of the dead in Memphis.
Phallic pendants and amulets in the form of the sacred scarab beetle have often
been found here. The veneration of the phallus – a symbol of fertility and the lifegiving
force of nature – was widespread in ancient times (and continues to be so in
many parts of the world today) particularly in Central Asia, where different kinds of
depictions of the phallus have been found in burial sites dating back to the Bronze
Age. However, there is no evidence of veneration of the beetle in Central Asia, unlike
in Egypt. The renowned Egyptologist, V.A. Korostovtsev, provided an excellent
description of the Scarab beetle’s importance in the life of the ancient Egyptians.
According to him, ‘through the ages, this insect played a major role in the religion and
mythology of Egypt, and represented life and self-renewal’. Egyptian Scarab amulets
spread throughout the Near and Middle East, southern Russia, Transcaucasia and
Central Asia. They have even been found in Xinjiang.
Among the items of Egyptian blue faience, amulet-pendants in the shape of a fist (a
‘fig’ sign) or a hand with outstretched fingers found in ancient sites and burial grounds
are particularly noteworthy. The ritual use of the
‘fig’ gesture has been regarded as a symbol of
protection from evil spirits by many peoples
around the world from earliest times. It
also had other meanings: for example,
according to F. Petrie, in Ancient Egypt,
similar amulets were thought to increase
sexual potency.
The other type of amulet, the
one in the form of a hand with
outstretched fingers, was also widely
Gemstone. Central Asia.
Head of a Roman legionary.
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