Egyptian. <em>Ram's Head Amulet</em>, ca. 775–653 B.C.E. or later. Jasper, 1 9/16 x 1 1/8 in. (3.9 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.198. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.54.198_wwg8.jpg)

Egyptian. Ram's Head Amulet, ca. 775–653 B.C.E. or later. Jasper, 1 9/16 x 1 1/8 in. (3.9 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.198. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.54.198_wwg8.jpg)

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This is cool!

This beautiful amulet dates to the Kushite period when the double-uraeus was popular. The ram is a symbol of the god Amun who was popular with the Kushites as well.

What's this for?

This amulet was likely worn as a necklace. The ram is associated with the god Amun, a creation deity from ancient Egypt who was also popular in Nubia. The two cobras on this amulet indicate that it was made when Nubian kings ruled Egypt.

I just love the natural colors of the stone. It's really striking.

Tell me more.

This amulet is so beautiful! It is in the form of a ram, which is an animal associated with the god Amun. We can tell that it dates to a specific time period, the Kushite period, based on the double uraeus on the ram's forehead.

What was the significance of the cobra head in ancient Egypt?

The cobra on the headdress like this is known as a uraeus and was seen as a protective element, especially for royalty. Those wielding it have symbolically harnessed the dangerous power of the animal for their own benefit! It was also a symbol of protective goddesses like Wadjet.

Ram's Head Amulet

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

This type of amulet, a symbol of the god Amun, originated with the Kushite kings who ruled Egypt as Dynasty XXV. Their foreheads, like this ram's head, were often adorned with two cobras rather than the single cobra common on the heads of Egyptian kings. An exceptionally fine carving in hard stone, this amulet has links between the horns and head that may reflect a metal prototype.

CULTURES Egyptian; Nubian

MEDIUM Jasper

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Reportedly from: Memphis, Egypt
Place found: Mitrahina, Egypt

DATES ca. 775–653 B.C.E. or later

DYNASTY Dynasty 25

PERIOD Third Intermediate Period

DIMENSIONS 1 9/16 x 1 1/8 in. (3.9 x 2.9 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 54.198

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view on the 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Egyptian. Ram's Head Amulet, ca. 775–653 B.C.E. or later. Jasper, 1 9/16 x 1 1/8 in. (3.9 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.198. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.54.198_wwg8.jpg)

IMAGE installation, West Wing gallery 8 installation, CUR.54.198_wwg8.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2006

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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