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This bronze figure of a bull most likely had cultic
connections, and was no doubt an object of
worship in the cult of a deity with bovine
associations. The range of time periods that this
item may derive from lends it a number of
possible connotations, from the Ptolemaic cult of
Serapis to the Canaanite cult of El. Its limbs and
its facial features are finely crafted, with an
almost whimsical quality that belies its certainly
sacred connotations. This image was a focus of
reverence for those adherents who fashioned
and employed this effigy.
The connotations to the bull are numerous in the
ancient Mediterranean. The great temple at
Memphis, Egypt, contained the enclosure of the
Apis bull, regarded as the oracle “herald” of the
god Ptah. The cult of Apis probably traces back
to the Old Kingdom, and was later transformed
in the Ptolemaic period into the cult of Serapis.
Zeus was told to have transformed himself into a
bull during his pursuit of Europa. In the Holy
Land, the Canaanite ancestors of the Israelites
drew a connection between the high god, El, and
bulls, and it was in Old Testament times that
graven images such as this one were forbidden
to the Israelites, being reminiscent of the golden
calf that the newly freed iIsraelites set up for
worship during their time of doubt. All in all, in
Classical Antiquity, the bull was a symbol of
strength and fertility, and its connections with
various pantheons and cultures were many.
Regardless of what religious context this effigy
derives from, it serves as a testament to the
deep-set connection to bulls in the
Mediterranean of Antiquity. This figure, whose
exact derivation is still a mystery to us, most
certainly carries with it the historical fingerprints
of ancient peoples who looked upon it as a
source of spiritual comfort and confidence amid
the unpredictable world of early agrarian
civilization.
- (LO.933)
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