Falcon amulet

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Made of thin sheet gold, this amulet takes the form of a falcon. This high-flying raptor is associated with a number of deities, primary among whom was Horus. Originally a sun god identified as both guardian and earthly incarnation of the king, the Horus falcon is often interpreted in funerary contexts as a protector of the dead.

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