Two Fingers Amulet

A black glass obsidian amulet in the form of two fingers of the right hand. The finger joints are indicated as well as the cuticles. Traces of yellowish dirt at separation of fingers. A detailed likeness of the index and second fingers of the right hand was one of the many amulets placed on the mummy.

This amulet was meant to close the incision through which the embalmers removed internal organs from the body prior to mummification. Remains of the resin used during embalming are still visible between these fingers. In addition to offering protection, an amulet of this shape was meant to help the deceased function better in the afterlife.

The double finger amulet depicted the outstretched index and middle fingers of the right or left hand. The material of which these amulets are made is often a dark hard stone, such as. obsidian, basalt, dark limestone or slate. Its meaning is not entirely clear, but has to do with where it was placed on the mummy. It is a pure funerary amulet and never occurs with a loop for suspension.

The amulet is most often found near the incision in the belly, which was made to extract the intestines. Maybe this amulet was intended to close the incision and thus emphasize the new wholeness of the body.

Ptolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 BC. Made of obsidian. 3/8 x 7/8 x 3 1/4 in. (1 x 2.2 x 8.3 cm). Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund. Possible from Middle Egypt. Now in the Brooklyn Museum. 74.158