Disc in between horns, stela of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II

Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II. The stela, from a chapel in the royal couple's honour, shows them in deified form. Their staffs are attributes of Egyptian gods, as is the emblem of life (ankh) held by the queen. Yet, unusually, the king wields a lightning bolt: a non-Egyptian motif that identifies him with Zeus, the Greek supreme god of sky and thunder. This reveals the Greek origin of Egypt's ruling dynasty. The Greeks equated Zeus with Amun, 'king of the gods', outside whose temple in Tanis this stela was displayed. Ptolemaic Period, reign of Ptolemy II (285-246 B.C.) From San el-Hagar (Tanis), chapel of Ptolemy II and Arsinoe II. Limestone