Description: Amulet of black stone (steatite) depicting the index and middle finger of the right hand carved to indicate finger nails, joints/knuckles not indicated. Remains of resin and gold gilding in small fragments on front and rear. Rear of amulet shows numerous shallow scratches ending approximately 1cm before base and end of middle finger. Collector's Marks: 717 written in pale blue on base of amulet. Cultural Significance: The Two Finger Amulet when in situ has been found on mummies most frequently in proximity to the incision on the abdomen where the internal organs were removed by the embalmer. The amulets first appear in Dynasty 26 and continue into the Ptolemaic period. They are normally made of black stone or obsidian. They relate to the desire that the mummy be whole in the afterlife and protect the area of the 'wound' made during the embalming process. Comparanda: ECM 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 1561; National Museums Liverpool 1967.60ff; British Museum EA8361; Metropolitan Museum New York 10.130.1808.
Notes: See W. Petrie, Amulets, 1914, 273; C. Andrews, Amulets of Ancient Egypt. 1994, p. 85, plate 64h; Reisner, Cairo Catalogue Generale 12162, 12169.
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