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Amulet of a Hippopotamus

A work made of limestone.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of limestone.

Date:

Predynastic Period, Naqada II–III (about 3500–3000 BCE)

Artist:

Egyptian

About this artwork

Made around 5000 years ago, this hippopotamus amulet is one of the oldest objects in the Art Institute’s collections. Ancient Egyptians had several terms for small objects like this, which we call “amulets.” Worn by the living and the dead, these charms were meant to bring protection, health, and good luck, ensuring the bearer’s well-being in both life and the afterlife.

This object was made before writing existed in ancient Egypt, so our guesses about its function come from our knowledge about later periods. Ancient Egyptians knew hippopotamuses as aggressive animals and may have worn amulets shaped like them for protection from the dangers they posed. In later periods ancient Egyptians worshipped a goddess, Taweret, whose body took the form of a hippopotamus, as a protector of laboring women and helper during childbirth. Early hippopotamus amulets like this stone example may have had similar ties to the powers that ancient Egyptians later associated with the goddess.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Title

Amulet of a Hippopotamus

Place

Egypt (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

3500 BCE–3000 BCE

Medium

Limestone

Dimensions

3.8 × 2.3 × 5.8 cm (1 1/2 × 15/16 × 2 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, and Norman W. Harris

Reference Number

1894.642

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/141090/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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