Libation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-Sign

Libation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-Sign

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This masterpiece of Early Dynastic stone carving has the shape of two intricately linked hieroglyphs. The two bent arms that frame three sides of the dish are read "ka," the word for "spirit" in ancient Egyptian. The loop and knot are read "ankh," meaning "life," or "to live." The combination could be interpreted as the phrase "life to thy spirit" or as the name of a person, Ankh-ka. The dish was undoubtedly used to pour a purifying liquid, probably water, that would take on the magical significance of the hieroglyphs.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Libation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-SignLibation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-SignLibation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-SignLibation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-SignLibation Dish Depicting Ka-Arms Presenting an Ankh-Sign

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.