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Fragment of Pectoral

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Egyptian religion frequently adopted a mulitplicity of approaches to explain or represent different aspects of a single divine concept. The sun god, for instance, had a morning aspect called Khepri, commonly depicted as a scarab beetle pushing the sun disk across the heavens much as a beetle rolls a ball of dung across the desert floor. The noontime sun was Re or Re-Horakhty, often shown as a falcon or falcon-headed man with a sun disk on his head. Atum, who personified the sun that set over the western horizon to travel through the underworld, could be represented in many guises, including those of a human-headed cobra, a ram-headed man, or a weary old man.

MEDIUM Steatite, glaze
  • Place Made: Egypt
  • DATES ca. 664–332 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 31
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 1 9/16 x 3 3/4 x 5/16 in. (3.9 x 9.6 x 0.8 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 68.18
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Fragment of Pectoral, ca. 664–332 B.C.E. Steatite, glaze, 1 9/16 x 3 3/4 x 5/16 in. (3.9 x 9.6 x 0.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 68.18. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.68.18_wwgA-1.jpg)
    IMAGE installation, West Wing gallery A-1 installation, CUR.68.18_wwgA-1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2005
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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