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5 strands of red faience beads with 10 silver spacer plaques and a modern clasp
Hippo figures served as grave goods in the Middle Kingdom, as the hippopotamus was a symbol for regeneration in the afterlife. The drawings on the figure are meant to mimic the natural habitat of the animal. Here the hippo is surrounded by lotus buds and flowers with a flying bird overhead, just as it would be in a papyrus thicket. This piece is probably from Thebes.
Late Period Egypt, Dynasty 26, ca. 664–525 B.C.
Found at Tell el-Yahudiya (Leontopolis) in 1905-6; excavated by W. M. F. Petrie for the Egyptian Research Account and presented to the MFA.
This small (12.5 cm x 9.5 cm) faience flask has baboons flanking the neck and traces of a light blue glaze. A vertical band around the body is inscribed with New Year’s wishes; the flasks were given as New Year’s presents. This example was badly broken into many fragments and has been mended; the museum notes that they have few complete examples and it would be a good candidate for restoration.
Source: Museum of Fine Arts Boston
1500-1300 BC (Mitannian)
Carved blue faience
Mass-produced seals made of soft, ceramic-like materials that could be glazed in bright colors were introduced during the Mitannian period. These seals have less complex compositions, emphasizing repetitive patterns. This one shows facing males holding a stylized tree. To the side, winged griffins appear above reclining horned animals. The griffins, mythical creatures portrayed in the art of Greece, the Levant, and Egypt, reflect the international environment of the Near East during this period.
From the beginning of Egyptian history, the baboon had a role in Egyptian religion. Initially, he was known as a deity called the “Great White One” (that is, the moon), but soon this god was conflated with Thoth, the better known ibis-headed god of writing and recording. Thoth’s responsibilities included the calendar, which in ancient Egypt was lunar based, facilitating the integration of the two deities. Baboon amulets probably were offerings to shrines honoring Thoth, but could also have been placed with the deceased as a representative of the deity who recorded Osiris’ judgment. This baboon holds a wedjat eye, the eye stolen from Horus and healed by Thoth.
Ornament
Period: Early Bronze Age
Date: ca. late 3rd millennium B.C.
Geography: Mesopotamia, Tell Taya
Medium: Faience
Dimensions: 0.16 in. (0.41 cm)
Classification: Faience
Provenance: 1967, excavated by Julian Reade, on behalf of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq; acquired by the Museum in 1972, as a result of its financial contribution to the excavations.
