- Description
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Mould-made amulet in glazed composition, in the shape of a falcon standing on base, maybe associated with the god Horus; very stylized features and flat representation, with few deeply incised details; suspension loop pierced widthways on back; light green-turquoise well preserved; complete.
- Production date
- 664 BC - 332 BC (likely)
- Dimensions
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Height: 2 centimetres
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Length: 1.65 centimetres
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Width: 0.80 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Edgar explained that “one of the trenches at the South end of the site produced a great quantity of small faience objects of the Saitic period” (Edgar 1905, 134). This trench was done "just N. of the ‘Great Wall’" of the Great Temenos and have provided figurines of Egyptian deities, pendants and beads (Hogarth diary – 2nd of May 1903; on this context: Masson forthcoming). This amulet might come from such a context.
Falcons are often associated with Horus, though various deities and the pharaoh himself can assume a falcon form (Davies, Smith 2005, 54); the identification of the deity represented is even harder in the case of amulets (Andrews 1994, 27-28; on various types of falcon amulets: Herrmann et al. 2010, 103-104).
Numerous amulets of falcons, made out of bronze, glazed composition, stone and Egyptian blue, were discovered in Naukratis (Masson forthcoming).
Andrews, C.A.R. 1994, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London.
Davies, S., Smith, H.S. 2005, The sacred animal necropolis at North Saqqara: the falcon complex and catacomb (Egypt Exploration Society Memoirs 73), London.
Edgar, C. C. 1905, ‘Naukratis 1903, G. - Minor Antiquities’, in D. G. Hogarth, H. L. Lorimer and C. C. Edgar, ‘Naukratis 1903’, Journal of Hellenic Studies 25, 123–36.
Herrmann, C., Staubli, T., Berger-Lober, S., Keel, O., Schönbächler, G. 2010, 1001 Amulett : altägyptischer Zauber, monotheisierte Talismane, säkulare Magie, Bibel+Orient-Museum, Liebefeld, Stuttgart.
Masson, A. forthcoming, ‘Naukratis: Egyptian offerings in context’, in M. Bergeron and A. Masson (eds), Naukratis in Context II: Cults, Sanctuaries and Offerings. Proceedings of the Second Naukratis Project Workshop held at the British Museum, 22nd – 23rd June 2013.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Fair
- Department
- External
- Additional IDs
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Miscellaneous number: AN1896-1908-EA.895 (Accession Number)
