The ibis was sacred to Thoth, the god of wisdom and learning, the mythical master of language and inventor of writing, the calculator of time, the healer and the magician. His cult was widely dispersed throughout Egypt, hence the necropolis overflowed with mummified ibises. Thoth was also often accompanied by the goddess Maat, the guarantor of cosmic order, which may explain the placing of the small openwork base in front of the ibis as most probably she was placed upon it. The ibis here is carefully executed with a noble and dignified attitude.