Amulet
664 BC - 30 BC
| Place of origin |
Bells first appear in graves of the Late Pharaonic period (c.664-332 B.C.), initially in metal, although examples in glazed composition quickly emerged. From this point, bells became very common as amulets as well as musical instruments, and their popularity continued into the Ptolemaic period. Bell amulets frequently incorporated relief details of the either the heads of divine figures, or animals associated with divine figures. Common details included crocodiles (symbol of the god Sobek), rams (symbol of the god Khnum), and the head of the god Bes.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Glazed composition |
| Brief description | Bell amulet, blue glazed composition, Deir el-Bahari, Egypt, Late or Ptolemaic period |
| Physical description | Fragment of a blue glazed composition bell amulet, with a suspension loop at the top and two further holes, possibly for suspension, on the body. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Object history | Found at Deir el-Bahari, 1903-4 excavation season. |
| Summary | Bells first appear in graves of the Late Pharaonic period (c.664-332 B.C.), initially in metal, although examples in glazed composition quickly emerged. From this point, bells became very common as amulets as well as musical instruments, and their popularity continued into the Ptolemaic period. Bell amulets frequently incorporated relief details of the either the heads of divine figures, or animals associated with divine figures. Common details included crocodiles (symbol of the god Sobek), rams (symbol of the god Khnum), and the head of the god Bes. |
| Bibliographic reference | E. Naville, The XIth Dynasty Temple at Deir el-Bahari III. Egypt Exploration Fund Memoir 32 (London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1913): Pl. 34.2 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1231-1904 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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