“A Tail in the Mouth”:- Ouroboros during the Greco-Roman Period

Abstract

OuroborosGreco Roman Period Eternity Tail in the mouth Many of-Faces Great One One of the most well-known ancient images is the Ouroboros, which portrays a serpent or mythical beast swallowing its tail, continually re-birthing itself and shaping a circle, representing eternity and the cyclical nature of things that start once again after they end. It is also the symbol of duality and dualising power. The standard ouroboros is used to refer to the ichnographically steady icon of a ring serpent with its tail at its mouth or inside it, associated with the cyclical time-eternity. It appeared during the New Kingdom and spread throughout the history of Egypt. From Egypt, and as an art motif and religious symbol, it may have spread to the Levant, and then around the world.This article is a comparative study on the ouroboros imagery of the Greco-Roman period. It examines the link between the different kinds of monuments attesting the ouroboros. The study also traces the development of the symbol, and compares monuments of this period with earlier archaeological evidences. The imagery of the ouroboros was inspired by a variety of iconographic representations, on tombs, coffins, magical materials, temples, and on the like.