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Amulet of Re-Horakhty
Nubian
Napatan Period, reign of Shabaka–Anlamani
712–593 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Meroe (Beg. West), W 503
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Height x width: 5.0 cm (4 5/16 x 1 15/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number23-M-709
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionThis intricate openwork amulet represents one of several falcon-headed deities worshipped in Egypt and Nubia, probably Ra-Horakhty. The amulet is in the form of a plaque, showing the god seated and holding an ankh, the hieroglyphic symbol for life. He wears an elaborate headdress consisting of a tall atef crown adorned with ram's' horns, plumes, uraeus cobras and a solar disk. Such headdresses are usually associated with Ra-Horakhty. Because of his association with the rising sun, amulets representing the god were believed to help the deceased achieve rebirth in the afterlife. The amulet is broken but nearly complete.
ProvenanceFrom Meroe (Beg. W), tomb 503. 1923: excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.