Click on images below for enlargements and object descriptions.

Female Figures

	The nude woman reclining on a bed at left probably had several layers of meaning involving fertility, sexuality, and religion.		The paddle doll at left, which terminates in a greatly enlarged pubic area, probably served as a fertility figure.
The steatopygous woman at right, or woman with emphasized hips, buttocks, breasts, and belly, was found in a granary so may symbolize fertility.		The image of a nude woman at right is one of the few surviving ostraca (potsherds) from the Graeco-Roman period with human figures.
	The seated "orant" (with arms upraised in prayer) at left, found in a domestic context, may have been intended to promote domestic fertility.		The standing figure at left is typical of later "orants," vividly painted and highly stylized.
The pose and emphasis on sexual characteristics of the reclining figure at right suggest it symbolized both sexuality and fertility.		Painted on the panel fragment at right, the nude body of Isis-Aphrodite, who is linked to love and sexuality, is visible through transparent drapery.
	The frog represented on the lamp at left is associated with the goddess Heqet in ancient Egypt and symbolizes fertility.		The cow on the necklace counterpoise at left is associated with the goddess Hathor, who was identified with music, dancing, and sexual pleasure.
The god Bes, depicted at right, is often represented on beds and protects women in childbirth, associating him with women's sexuality and fertility.		At right Aphrodite exposes her nude body and the phallic god Priapus his (now missing) erect penis--an image with religious, erotic and humorous connotations.