<em>Inscribed Object from Foundation Deposit of Amunemhat II</em>, ca. 1876–1842 B.C.E. Steatite, Other (circumference): 7/8 in. (2.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1746E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.1746E_erg456.jpg)

Inscribed Object from Foundation Deposit of Amunemhat II, ca. 1876–1842 B.C.E. Steatite, Other (circumference): 7/8 in. (2.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1746E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.1746E_erg456.jpg)

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Inscribed Object from Foundation Deposit of Amunemhat II

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Foundation Deposits

In addition to commissioning new buildings, Egyptian kings occasionally claimed existing structures such as temples or palaces as their own.

The most common way for a king to do this was to substitute his own name for that of the original builder in the inscriptions. When a king commissioned a new structure, he buried objects in the four corners of the foundation to be certain that the gods would remember the true builder and that later kings could not find and reinscribe them. These so-called foundation deposits usually included plaques with the king’s name, as well as models of objects used to erect the building, such as grinders, hoes, and rockers needed to move large stones.

MEDIUM Steatite

Reportedly From: Shedet (Crocodilopolis), Egypt

DATES ca. 1876–1842 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 12

PERIOD Middle Kingdom

DIMENSIONS Other (circumference): 7/8 in. (2.3 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1746E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION One circular object with hollow center thought to be from a foundation deposit and inscribed for Amenemhet II of Dynasty 12.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Inscribed Object from Foundation Deposit of Amunemhat II, ca. 1876–1842 B.C.E. Steatite, Other (circumference): 7/8 in. (2.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1746E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.1746E_erg456.jpg)

IMAGE overall, CUR.37.1746E_erg456.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 9/5/2007

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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