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Another popular form of Horus amongst the Greeks was Harpocrates. This name is derived from the Egyptian ‘Heru-pa-khered’, meaning ‘Horus the Child.’ This form of Horus existed prior to the arrival of the Greeks. The god is normally shown as a young boy holding a finger to his lips, an ancient Egyptian gesture symbolizing childhood. The Greeks who saw this thought that the gesture indicated silence. the Greeks mistook Harpocrates as the god of silence. Since the worship of Harpocrates continued even during the Roman period, it is clear that he was an immensely popular deity.
Harpocrates underwent a process of syncretism, by which elements of foreign gods were added to him. A good example of this is a bronze figurine of the god currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This artefact dates to the Roman period and is called ‘Harpokrates in an Egyptianizing Crown and holding the club of Herakles.’ The artefact clearly shows the combination of the Egyptian Harpocrates with the Roman Heracles.
The Romans seemed to have been particularly keen on syncretism. There are various artefacts showing how Horus was made to look more Roman. One of these, for instance, is a figure of Horus that resides today in the British Museum in London. This figure, which is made of limestone, depicts a falcon-headed Horus in a seated position. Although the ancient Egyptians also portrayed the god in this position, this statue bears closer resemblance in its attitude to images of senior Graeco-Roman deities. More striking is the fact that this Horus is dressed in Roman military attire, a description of which is as follows:
, is a bronze figurine of Horus. The god is standing and dressed in Roman military costume. Whilst this may not show any connection between Horus and the Roman gods (except, perhaps, for Mars, the Roman god of war, who is also depicted in military costume), it does reflect the Roman understanding that Horus was a warrior god.