Papyrus column amulet

Papyrus column amulet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This amulet depicts a papyrus scepter or a papyrus column with a loop for suspension at the top. The plant itself, its Egyptian name wadj (which means "green" or "fresh"), and the choice of green-blue faience all strongly evoke life, vitality, and regenerative power, qualities desirable for the living and the dead. Papyrus column amulets are very difficult to date. They occur from the New Kingdom on and were very popular in the Late Period.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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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.