Amulet of the Deity Heh Holding Signs for Millions of Years
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 the Deity Heh Holding Signs for Millions of Years, ca. 945–718 B.C.E.. Faience, 1 9/16 x 7/8 x 1/4 in. (3.9 x 2.2 x 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1169E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.1169E_wwgA-3.jpg)
Title
Amulet of the Deity Heh Holding Signs for Millions of Years
Date
ca. 945–718 B.C.E.
Period
Third Intermediate Period
Geography
Place made: Egypt
Medium
Faience
Classification
Dimensions
1 9/16 x 7/8 x 1/4 in. (3.9 x 2.2 x 0.6 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1169E
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.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at