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Fragments of menat amulets
Nubian
Napatan Period, reign of Aspelta
593–568 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Nuri, Pyramid 8 (tomb of Aspelta)
Medium/Technique
Faience
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number16-A-85
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
DescriptionThe menat, or counterweight to a broad collar, was sacred to the goddess Hathor. It was a popular protective amulet,and large numbers were found in the Nubian royal tombs. Most examples, like these fragments, were made of bluish-green faience.
ProvenanceFrom Nuri, pyramid 8 (tomb of Aspelta), stairs. 1916: 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.