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Amulet of the head of Hathor
Nubian
Meroitic Period, reign of Shabaka–Taharqa
712–664 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Meroe (Beg. West), Tomb 633
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Height: 1.1 cm (7/16 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number23-M-246
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionAmulets of the head of the fertility goddess Hathor were popular items in both Egyptian and Nubian burials. This amulet of bright blue glazed faience shows the goddess without her usual attributes of a pair of horns and solar disk, but she wears her characteristic heavy wig. The back is flat, and there is a ring at the top for suspension.
ProvenanceFrom Meroe (Beg. West), tomb 633. 1923: 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.