Osorkon II was a Meshwesh Pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty, a family of Libyan descent who ruled over the Delta region during the fragmentation of the 3rd intermitered period. His reign was characterized by his focus on reinforcing the legitimacy of his rule and authority through religious and political means, often aligning himself with the divine through representations in art and temple inscriptions.
The pendant bares the cartouche of Osorkon II as Ausar flanked by Heru and Auset. This choice reflects a reemergence in religious focus towards the Ausarian mythos, and an emphasis on old kingdom concepts of kingship. By depicting himself alongside Ausar, the Netjer of the afterlife and resurrection, Osorkon II aligned his reign with themes of renewal and immortality, suggesting that his authority was divinely sanctioned and that he was a harbinger of order and stability in a time marked by fragmentation and decline.
The exquisite “Triad of King Osorkon II”, was crafted from gold, lapis lazuli, and red glass. This triad features three prominent deities from ancient Egyptian mythology. Auset, positioned on the left, is depicted as the great mother goddess, with cow horns symbolizing birth and motherhood, attributes of Het-Heru and the solar disc representing the life-giving nourishment of Ra. On the right, Heru is depicted with the head of a falcon and is wearing the Pschent, the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt, representing his kingship and roles as the god of heaven and war, as well as the son of Ausar and Auset. In the center, Osorkon is portrayed as Ausar wearing the Atef crown, embodying resurrection and immortality as well as serving as the father of Heru and husband to Auset. He is depicted seated on a quadrangular lapis lazuli pillar, along with the hieroglyphic inscription that includes the cartouche of Pharaoh Osorkon II.
The collective representation of these three deities is recognized as the "Ausarian triad," commonlry refered to as the "Osirian triad," which represents the interconnected themes of life, death, and resurrection, embodied by the deities Ausar, Auset, and Heru, who symbolize the cyclical nature of existence and the hope for immortality. Ausar stands for resurrection and fertility, Auset embodies motherhood and protection, while Heru represents divine kingship and the struggle against chaos, illustrating the vital relationship between these concepts in ancient Egyptian theology.
The following 23rd and 24th Dynasties would face insurmountable odds as Egypt became further fractured and decsended into further chaos and political instabitlity. The Kushite King Piankhi would soon challenge the legitimacy of the Meshwesh rulers and seek to estabish order within the Kingdom while King Esarhaddon would threaten their sovereignty with the strength of the Neo-Assyrian war machine behind him.
Interestinly enough Osorkon II has been linked to the biblical character of Zerah the Cushite. Zerah was a Cushite or Ethiopian who invaded Judah during the reign of King Asa. The Bible says that Asa defeated Zerah's army. Zerah may have been a Nubian commander who led Egyptian and Nubian armies. The name "Zerah" was thought by some to be a corruption of "Usarkon". Some scholars have suggested that Zerah may have been the Hebrew name of Usarken I or Usarken II. However most scholars belive that Osorkon II is not the same person as Zerah the Cushite, although the two may have been related.
“The prevailing interpretation of the story (providing one accepts its basic historicity) is that the only explanation for the composition of Zeraḥ’s army is that he had arrived from Egypt (see e.g. Kitchen 2003, 11). The standard Egyptian chronology would place the Zeraḥ episode in the reign of Osorkon I, second ruler of the 22nd Dynasty and the son and successor of Shoshenq I. While earlier scholars (e.g. Hall 1927, 439 & n. 2) attempted to force a philological match and identify Zeraḥ with Osorkon I himself, the idea has long fallen out of favour. As explained by Kitchen (1996, 309): There is no question of identifying Osorkon with Zerah as sometimes done: the name differs entirely. Osorkon is a king and of Libyan origin, whereas Zerah is not called king and is a Nubian. By 897 B.C., Osorkon I was already an old man, and so he may well have sent a general of Nubian extraction to lead a force into Palestine, emulating his father’s exploit, bring home some fresh booty, and dismantle the military build-up of Asa. However, Zerah proved no match for the Judean king, and so we have no trace of a triumphal relief of Osorkon to adorn the new temple walls of Egypt. Nevertheless a placement of the Zeraḥepisode in the reign of Osorkon I, while not impossible, remains entirely hypothetical.”
Zeraḥ the Kushite: A New Proposal Regarding His Identity: https://www.centuries.co.uk/2011-zerah-veen-james.pdf
Third Intermediate Period, 22nd Dynasty, reign of Osorkon II, ca. 872-837 BC. Now in the Louvre. E 6204
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