- Description
-
Mould-made amuletic figure in glazed composition, representing the hippopotamus-headed goddess Taweret; standing on a small rectangular base, in striding pose, with her arms on her belly and a stylized tail down her back decorated with chevron-shaped incisions; square loop for suspension, pierced widthwise, added to the back of her tail; white paste with light turquoise glaze, only slightly chipped in places; complete.
- Production date
- 6thC BC (?)
- Dimensions
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Height: 2.70 centimetres
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Width: 0.95 centimetres
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Depth: 1.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- Taweret is well represented in the faience amulets from Naukratis (Masson forthcoming a). Associated with the protection of pregnancy and child birth (Andrews 1994, 40; Herrmann et al. 2010, 80-82), Taweret amulets are already documented in the Old Kingdom (Ferrari 1996, 40) and are particularly common in Egyptian settlements of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods (for example: Giddy 1992, pl. 52, 78/1, pl. 53, 78/85, pl. 77, 78/1, 78/85; Wilson 1982, 30, pl. XXVIII n°9-10; Masson forthcoming b).
Considering its context of discovery, it should be dated to the 26th dynasty. However, the registers of the McLean Museum & Art Gallery tend to allocate the Scarab Factory as a findspot for not only scarabs and scaraboids moulds, but also all types of amulets from Naukratis. Caution is therefore required for the dating and the findspot.
Andrews, C. 1994, Amulets of Ancient Egypt, London.
Ferrari, D. 1996, Gli amuleti dell’antico Egitto (Piccola biblioteca di egitologia 3).
Giddy, L.L. 1992, The Anubieion at Saqqâra II. The Cemeteries, EES 56, London.
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 a, ‘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.
Masson, A. forthcoming b, Le quartier des prêtres sur la rive est du Lac Sacré à Karnak.
Wilson, K.L. 1982, Cities of the Delta, Part II: Mendes – Preliminary Report on the 1979 and 1980 Seasons (American Research Center in Egypt Report 5), Malibu.
- Location
- Not on display
- Condition
- Relatively fair, glaze sometimes chipped
- Acquisition date
- 1888
- Department
- External
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: 1987.282 (Accession Number)
