The striding ram-headed god is finely modeled, with hands clenched by his sides, wearing a shendyet-kilt, on an integral rectangular base, pierced for suspension.
Khnum was one of the earliest Egyptian deities, originally the god of the source of the Nile River. Since the annual flooding of the Nile brought with it silt and clay, and its water brought life to its surroundings, he was thought to be the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made at a potter’s wheel, from clay, and placed in their mothers’ wombs. He later was described as having moulded the other deities, and he had the titles Divine Potter and Lord of created things from himself. His significance led to early theophoric names of him, for children, such as Khnum-Khufwy – “Khnum is my Protector”, the full name of Khufu (r. 2589–2566 BC), builder of the Great Pyramid.
The worship of Khnum centered on two principal riverside sites, Elephantine Island and Esna, which were regarded as sacred. At the Elephantine temple, which dates to the Middle Kingdom (2055–1650 BC), he was worshipped alongside his daughter, Anuket and Satis, his consort, as the guardian of the source of the Nile River. At Esna, the temple dates to the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BC), when the worship of Khnum flourished there.
Goldnwulf 