Histoire Naturelle - Mammals - Plate 7 - Rams ~ Sheep were kept for their meat, milk, skins and wool, and flocks of sheep were used to trample newly sown seed into the ground. Rams, seen as a symbol of fertility, were identified with various gods, notably Khnum, a creator god who crafted men on his pottery wheel, and Amun, the great god of the city of Thebes. Rams were a symbol of fertility, and as such, the fertility god Heryshef took the form of a ram or a ram-headed man. The bodies of some rams were mummified and equipped with gilded masks and even jewelry. The ram was known to the Egyptians as 'Bah' and sheep as 'Ser'.

Framed 35 1/2 inches x 28 inches ~ $2,000