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ID number:  ECM 105
Named collection:  The Eton Myers Collection
Title / Object name:  Two Fingers Amulet
Object type:  Amulet
Culture:  Egyptian
Date made:  Late Period (ca.664 - 332 BCE)
Collector:  Myers, William Joseph
Materials:  Steatite
Measurements:  overall: 8.85 cm x 2.44 cm x 0.73 cm (H x W x D)
Provenance:  Unknown

Two fingers amulet, black stone, rudimentary form, nails delineated; slight traces of gold to lower part of outer face

Bibliography:  Andrews, C. 2000. Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum, Santa Ana, The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art.

Petrie, W.M. F. 1914 Amulets. Constable & Company, London, UK.

Notes:  The two fingers amulet, always depicting the index and middle finger, are only known from funerary contexts in the Late Period (664-332 BCE). Where they have been found in situ, these amulets were typically placed on the torso of the mummified body close to the incision made by the embalmer during the mummification process. These objects have thus been interpreted as representing the fingers of the embalmer (Andrews 2000: 85). This amulet may have reaffirmed the success of the embalming process, and may been associated with further protection of this particular area of the physical body of the deceased.

That these objects tend to be carved from dark stone such as obsidian may also have some ideological significance.

1 Related People

EtonCollege-2.jpg
Myers, William Joseph
British
1858-08
1899-10-30
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