Golden Head of the God Osiris

Amulet showing the head of the god Osiris, on his head he wears the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt on which the uraeus stands out. The cult and images of the god have undergone profound changes over time.

For example, Osiris, lord of the underworld, is also included in the solar cycle: it is the dead, nocturnal sun that encloses the regenerating principle of life.‬ His sacred city was Abydos, in Upper Egypt, yet there are no traces of his cult in the earliest phases (predynastic and protodynastic): then, the divinity of the place was the jackal god Khenti-Amentiu, which Osiris absorbed over time.

In ancient Egypt, gold, silver and electrum were the metals of choice for making jewelry. Due to its brilliance and incorruptibility, gold was associated with the Sun and the concept of immortality (hence the decision to make the bodies of gods from gold).

Silver was associated with the Moon, and was used for the bones of the gods. In its natural state or when produced artificially, electrum is a composite of gold and silver. As a result, it assumed symbolic functions.

Amulet showing the head of the god Osiris. Late Period, ca. 664-332 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona. E 506JA