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Amulet of an Ankh
Third Intermediate Period–Late Period (1070–332 BCE)
- Medium
- Low-fired earthenware or stucco
- Classification
- Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions
- 4 × 2 × 0.5 cm (1 5/8 × 3/4 × 3/16 in.)
- Culture
- Egypt
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Africa
- Credit line
- Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its subject is for older viewers (war, death, the Passion, drink or the like). How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Small-scale Egyptian figurines, known as amulets, were thought to promote health and good luck. Amulets were such an important part of Egyptian religious beliefs that they were worn by both the living and the dead. They could be mounted on rings or strung as bracelets or necklaces and were placed among the mummy wrappings to secure the deceased’s rebirth and well-being in the afterlife. Many varieties of amulets survive, including figures of deities, parts of the human (or divine) body, animals, plants, and objects of daily life. The ankh symbol, which represents a sandal strap, was the hieroglyph for “life.” It is among the most common amulets because of the Egyptians’ desire for eternal life after death.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
