Ibex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A Fish

Ibex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A Fish

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The animal on its little base might be crouching behind a bush during a hunt. Eyes wide open and head only slightly raised from the forelegs, the animal seems to be listening and sniffing for the dreaded hunter and his dogs. The ancient Egyptians considered the ibex to be a good-luck charm and symbol of renewal. Ibex figures often decorated New Year's gifts, and in "Happy New Year" inscriptions an ibex frequently served as the hieroglyphic emblem for the word "year." The piece here is pierced horizontally to fit into a ring.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Ibex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A FishIbex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A FishIbex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A FishIbex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A FishIbex-Shaped Design Amulet Inscribed With A Crocodile and A Fish

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.