God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II.

God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo IINectanebo II was the last native king of Egypt. Caught in a delicate balance between the naval power of the Greeks and the Persian empire, and dependent on Greek mercenaries, he managed to defeat the Persians once, but on their second invasion in 343 B.C., he was forced to flee, perhaps to Nubia. Despite this, he was much honoured by his Hellenistic successors, particularly Alexander the Great, and cults were established to worship him in the Ptolemaic Period. Despite the difficult and uncertain times, Nectanebo II’s reign was marked by an artistic and literary revival. This figure of the king, dominated by the massive falcon wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, is a continued expression of the protection of the king by the god Horus.