Amulet Plaque with Figure of Thoth

Amulet Plaque with Figure of Thoth

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This amulet depicting the god Thoth was found on the left arm of the mummy together with a wedjat eye amulet and a djed pillar amulet (see 25.3.170b, c). Amulets often represent deities in order to invoke their protection and specific powers. Such amulets were used by the living and placed on mummies as well. The amulet here depicts the god Thoth as a man with an ibis-head. Thoth was the god of knowledge and writing and he was also thought to have healing powers. The popularity of Thoth amulets as mummy amulets probably relates to his role as recorder of the final judgment, in which it was determined if the deceased had lived a virtuous life.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Amulet Plaque with Figure of ThothAmulet Plaque with Figure of ThothAmulet Plaque with Figure of ThothAmulet Plaque with Figure of ThothAmulet Plaque with Figure of Thoth

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.