Cowroid Inscribed with an Ankh

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This cowrie-shaped amulet is inscribed on the base with the full spelling of the word ankh, whick means "to live," or "life." It was among the objects that had been placed in the coffin of an unnamed woman that was found in the tomb of Hatnefer (see 36.3.1). Five other amulets in the Museum's collections were found inside a kohl pot in the same coffin (26.3.22–.21, .23–.24). There were also two mirrors (36.3.12, .13), three faience bowls (36.3.8–.10) , a circular wood box (36.3.11a, 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