String of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various Hieroglyphs

String of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various Hieroglyphs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

These cowrie-shaped beads are inscribed on the base with various hieroglyphs including the ankh (life), nefer (beautiful or good), and maat (truth). They were found together with other beads and pendants. The cowries were strung together for convenience, but it is possible they worn as a necklace.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

String of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various HieroglyphsString of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various HieroglyphsString of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various HieroglyphsString of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various HieroglyphsString of 46 Cowroids Inscribed with Various Hieroglyphs

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.