Djed Pillar Amulet

Djed Pillar Amulet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The djed-pillar is a stylized representation of an early fetish that probably consisted of plant material. From the beginning of ancient Egyptian history, it was used as a symbol signifying permanence. Later it was associated with the god Osiris and identified as his backbone. The djed-pillar here was probably used as a funerary amulet to ensure permanence and to closely connect the deceased to Osiris, who was revived after death.

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.