Figure of a Baboon

Figure of a Baboon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The baboon played an important role in ancient Egyptian religion. Originally, this animal was seen as the incarnation of a lunar deity known as "the Great White One" (the moon). Over time, this god became conflated with Thoth, the god of writing seen more often in the form of an ibis or ibis-headed man. In his baboon form, Thoth remained closely associated with the moon. This small figure, which may have been dedicated at a shrine, is shown squatting with its hands on its knees and its tail wrapped around to one side.

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.