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Isis knot (tyet) amulet
Egyptian
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12
1991–1783 B.C.
Findspot: Egypt, Deir el-Bersha
Medium/Technique
Ivory
Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 5.9 x 3.9 x 1 cm (2 5/16 x 1 9/16 x 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number21.927
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Amulets
Catalogue Raisonné
DescriptionA type of amulet known as the tyet consists of an open, knotted loop of cloth from which hangs a long sash flanked by a pair of loops. These amulets were closely associated with the goddes Isis and her protective powers. From the New Kingdom on, Egyptians and later Nubians routinely included them in the mummy wrappings to guard the mummy. The top of this tyet, originally dowelled in, is now missing.
ProvenanceFrom Deir el-Bersha. 1915: excavated by the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Egypt.