This is regrettable, for one thing, because it excludes one of the areas where the two traditions discussed in the book may meet. The section on Egypt includes some mention of representations of Bes and other dwarf deities in the Ptolemaic and Graeco-Roman periods. Some of these representations reflect Egyptian conceptions of dwarfism, but in a new iconography. Cultic associations, with Isis and Dionysus, have indeed been suggested for some Hellenistic and Graeco-Roman dwarfs, including the Mahdia trio. The Greek material that is covered here does not distribute itself evenly.
Physical abnormality becomes an exotic feature.
The works of art discussed fall into two main groups. The numerically larger consists of figurines, almost all of terracotta, of East Greek type but found all over the Mediterranean. They date from a period of fifty years in the middle of the sixth century, and show fat, standing dwarfish figures. Some carry a smaller figure, probably a child, others a basket or a shield. D. identifies them as derived from Egyptian figurines showing dwarf deities, Bes or Ptah-Patoikos, which are found as votives at Greek sanctuaries from the seventh century onwards, and believes that they transmit the Egyptian notion of dwarfs as protective guardians of the family.