Heart Amulet of Manhata

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Egyptians regarded the heart as the seat of the spirit, and it was not removed from the body during mummification. Among the spells popularly known as the Book of the Dead, one (30B) calls upon the heart not to bear witness against the deceased during judgment in the afterlife. This spell was usually inscribed on a large scarab made of green stone that was placed on the mummy's chest. Instead of a scarab, Queen Manhata was given a heart-shaped amulet. The ends of the gold wire that held the amulet in place are shaped like birds' heads. For other objects belonging to this queen, see 18.8.1a, b; 18.8.22a, b.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art