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Amulet of Khnum or Harsaphes (Heryshef)
Nubian
Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy (Piye)
743–712 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia(Sudan), El-Kurru, Ku 53
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Height: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number24.580
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionThis rather schematically rendered amulet of pale blue glazed faience depicts a ram-headed male deity standing and walking forward. Egypt, and later Nubia, had multiple ram gods and it is often difficult to identify which one is intended. This god may therefoe be Khnum, the patron deity of Elephantine (modern Aswan) or Harsaphes, the patron of Heracleopolis. In either case, amulets of this type were placed in burials to assist the rebirth of the deceased in the afterlife. There is a hole at the back for suspension.
ProvenanceFrom el-Kurru, Ku. 53 (tomb of Queen Tabiry). 1919: excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.
(Accession date: January 1, 1924)
(Accession date: January 1, 1924)