Ancient Egyptian Faience Amulet Of Thoth in Ibis Form - 44 mm

Ancient Egyptian

Provenance:

Collection passed on to me by mother (P.M.Shaw) in 2009
Given to her by
J.G.Judd who acquired piece part of a strand of many depictions and amulets from Cairo dealer 08-12-1974. - with copy of original invoice available.

International Signed and Tracked.

Faience Ibis / Frog Amulet symbolic of Thoth Heqet.

The ancient Egyptian deities Thoth and Heqet had an association that is evident in mythology and temple records, particularly linking them through the themes of resurrection, the judgment of the dead, and the last stages of birth.
Shared Associations
Judgment of the Dead: Thoth, the god of writing, magic, and wisdom, was the scribe of the underworld who recorded the verdict in the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony. Heqet, the frog-goddess of fertility and childbirth, was present when the deceased was "reborn" into the afterlife, and was sometimes depicted sitting at the foot of Osiris's bier. The frog hieroglyph could serve as a cryptogram for when ankh ("repeating life"), linking her directly to the concept of resurrection.
Temple at Qus and Tuna el-Gebel: A temple dedicated to Horus and Heqet was found at Qus in Upper Egypt. Furthermore, an inscription in the tomb of Petosiris (a high priest of Thoth) at Tuna el-Gebel records that Heqet asked him to repair her ruined temple.
The Ogdoad: Thoth was the chief deity of the city of Hermopolis Magna, also known as Khmun. In its creation myth, the Ogdoad, a group of eight primeval deities (four male gods with frog heads and four female goddesses with serpent heads), represented the state of the world before creation. While Heqet was not one of the core eight, her form as a frog goddess is linked to this Hermopolitan cosmological tradition.

Microscopic images have been added to display pigmentation and integrity of the core faience.





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This piece has been dated based on style by the seller . No further tests, such as, a TL test, analysis of metals(XRF-test), lapidary tests, analysis of pigments or radiography scans have been conducted to check the integrity of the piece.