Ceremonial Saw in the Shape of a Ma`at-Feather
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Object Label
The unusual shape of this saw’s handle is a reproduction of a Ma`at -feather (an ostrich plume signifying “truth”). This shape suggests that the saw was used for ceremonial purposes, such as preparing meat for sacrifice to a god.
Caption
Ceremonial Saw in the Shape of a Ma`at-Feather, ca. 1353–1336 B.C.E.. Bronze, 12 3/8 x 1 5/8 in. (31.5 x 4.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 65.133. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.65.133_erg456.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Ceremonial Saw in the Shape of a Ma`at-Feather
Date
ca. 1353–1336 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Bronze
Classification
Dimensions
12 3/8 x 1 5/8 in. (31.5 x 4.2 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
65.133
Rights
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.
Frequent Art Questions
How integral were acts such as sacrifices to various gods to the daily operations of Egyptian societies?
To be honest, we aren't entirely sure how religion figured into the daily lives of Ancient Egyptians. Most what we know about Ancient Egyptian religion is based on monumental temples and funerary archaeology. An implement like this Ritual Saw in the shape of a Maat Feather would have been used in a temple or other elite setting.
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