Amulet of Lungs and Windpipe
1 of 2
Object Label
Living persons wore only one or a few amulets at a time, but mummies usually bear many amulets. The Ma’at amulet (no. 2) and heart scarabs (nos. 1, 3, 11), which occurred in many forms, guaranteed a successful judgment of the dead. The amulets of a hand (no. 8), lungs and a windpipe (no. 12), and wadjet-eyes (i.e., “healthy” eyes; no. 4) protected those parts of the body and also had connotations of resurrection and the unity or integrity of the mummy. The enigmatic aper amulet (no. 13) takes the form of the hieroglyph meaning “to be equipped,” perhaps in reference to the mummy’s preparation. The two crowns (nos. 5, 6) were symbols of power. The Heh insignia (no. 7), like the popular ankh-sign, denoted eternal life. Among the living, the frog (no. 9) and possibly also the hare (no. 10) suggested fertility. The amulets of the Four Sons of Horus (no. 15) perhaps served, as they did with canopic jars, to protect various organs of the body.
Caption
Amulet of Lungs and Windpipe, ca. 1539–1295 B.C.E. or later. Stone, 1 1/8 x 5/16 x 1/8 in. (2.8 x 0.8 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father Charles Edwin Wilbour, 16.580.28. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.16.580.28_wwgA-3.jpg)
Title
Amulet of Lungs and Windpipe
Date
ca. 1539–1295 B.C.E. or later
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Stone
Classification
Dimensions
1 1/8 x 5/16 x 1/8 in. (2.8 x 0.8 x 0.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Evangeline Wilbour Blashfield, Theodora Wilbour, and Victor Wilbour honoring the wishes of their mother, Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, as a memorial to their father Charles Edwin Wilbour
Accession Number
16.580.28
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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Frequent Art Questions
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Amulets could be carried or placed within a mummy's bandages to bring health and good luck in the afterlife. This amulet is meant to resemble a set of lungs and a wind pipe which is also the hieroglyph "sma" or union.
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