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Amulet of Pataikos

Nubian
Napatan Period, reign of Kashta to Taharqa
750–664 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), Meroe (Beg.), W 493

Medium/Technique Silver
Dimensions Height: 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
Credit Line Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number23-3-53
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / AdornmentAmulets

DescriptionPataikos was a popular protective deity, amulets of whom were believed to ward off threats to the wearer. He is usually depicted as a nude dwarf with a bald head, often wielding a pair of knives.
ProvenanceFrom Meroe (Beg. W) tomb 493. 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.