Late Period

Amulet of the god Nefertem

Faience Amulet of the god Nefertem

Molded faience amulet in the form of Nefertem or Nefertum, he is often defined as the god of perfumes but this association is secondary. Nefertem was, in fact, first and foremost, the young god of the lotus bud that emerged from the primordial waters, according to the Egyptian myth, and from which the sun was...

Golden Head of the God Osiris

Gold Head Amulet of 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...

Statuette of Thoth as Ibis bird. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. INV 10073

Statuette of Thoth as an Ibis bird

A statuette of the god Thoth depicted as an ibis. The body of this statuette is made of wood, which was covered with fine stucco. The head with the atef crown, the neck, the tail feathers and the legs are made of silver. The eyes are in stucco with black glass. Thoth, as the embodiment...

Bastet, The Gayer-Anderson Cat

Bastet, Gayer-Anderson Cat

The Gayer-Anderson Cat, housed at the British Museum, is a stunning representation of Bastet in her domestic cat form, created during Egypt’s Late Period, (c. 664–332 B.C.). This bronze statue was acquired in the early 20th century by Major Robert Gayer-Anderson, a British collector and Egyptologist, who purchased it in Cairo. Though its precise archaeological...

Ancient Egyptian Signet Ring

Ancient Egyptian Signet Ring

This signet ring belonging to a person call Sa-Neith, who held the following titles: ‘Prophet and Divine Father’, ‘Director of Chapels (of the goddess Neith)’, ‘Priest of Horus’, ‘He whose two Diadems are Great’, ‘Lord of the City of Letopolis (in the delta; possibly the city of origin of the owner of the ring)’. The...

Amuletic disk (Hypocephalus)

Amuletic disk (Hypocephalus)

The term hypocephalus refers to a piece of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment. It is specifically an amuletic disc made of cartonnage, bronze, textile, or rarely from papyrus and even wood, emulating a solar disc. It was made for Tasheritenkhonsu. Linen and plaster, inscribed in ink. It dates to the Late Period, 26th Dynasty,...

Statue of Thoth as an Ibis

This statue represents the god Thoth in the form of a sitting ibis. The artist’s careful choice of materials, the bronze of the head and the white limestone of the body, give the statue the appearance of a real bird. The feathers of the body are in light relief while the tail, which is separate...

Head of a Cat with Amber Eyes

Bronze head of a cat represents goddess Bastet or Bast with inlaid amber eyes and a golden scarab on its forehead, it was part of a cat-shaped sarcophagus for a cat mummy, as a sacrifice to the goddess Bastet. The little feline lived in the houses, that’s why it was associated to the goddess Bastet,...

Papyrus Column Amulet

This papyrus column amulet, meant to be worn, carried, or offered to a deity in the belief that it will magically bestow a particular power or form of protection, depicts a papyrus scepter or column. This plant, named wadj, meaning “green” or “fresh”, and the choice of green-blue faience all strongly evoke vitality and regenerative...

Obsidian two finger amulet

Two Finger Amulet

This amulet depicts two finger that are about life-size. Two finger amulets were used exclusively for the dead and were often found placed on the embalming incision, which was made during the mummification process. These amulets were meant magically to heal the wound. The first examples of this amulet type date to 26th Dynasty, ca....