This large amulet represents Pataikos, a protective deity shown as a male with dwarfism.^[1] With the exception of the beaded broad collar around his neck, the god is depicted nude, standing with his hands resting on his stomach. Pataikos grasps a maat feather (the Egyptian symbol of truth and justice) in each hand, and snakes extend from the corners of his mouth, highlighting the god’s ability to protect the amulet’s wearer from misfortunes such as illness, scorpion stings, and snake bites. A scarab beetle, rendered in raised relief, rests on top of his bald head (fig. 1). As one of the manifestations of Khepri (the morning form of the sun), the scarab evokes Pataikos’s solar and regenerative connections. Here Pataikos’s bowed legs are broken at mid-calf, but in many similar amulets that are complete the god stands on the backs of crocodiles, his dominance over the animals alluding to his mastery over dangerous, chaotic forces.^[2] This sphere of influence was particularly important during and after childbirth, and many amulets of Pataikos are associated with women and young children.^[3]1

No mythology for the god is known from ancient Egyptian sources, and much about him remains a mystery, including his true name. The name “Pataikos” can be traced back to the writings of the fifth-century BCE Greek historian Herodotus who recounts the Persian king Cambyses’s encounter with a statue of a god in this form in the Memphis temple of Hephaistos (Egyptian Ptah, whom the Greeks equated with their god Hephaistos).^[4] Herodotus states that the statue resembled Phoenician “Patakoi” (the plural of Pataikos). Pataikos may have been a form of Ptah, the primary god of Memphis who was the patron deity of craftsmen. As represented on tomb chapel walls, craft production was a well-established profession for ancient Egyptian men with dwarfism. Indeed, Pataikos may be a Greek diminutive of Ptah, meaning “little Ptah.”^[5]2

On this amulet, three additional deities surround the image of Pataikos, adding to the efficacy of the object. Each is shown in flat profile, in contrast to the image of Pataikos, which is shaped in the round. Nestled behind Pataikos’s left arm stands the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet (fig. 2a). On the opposite side, the goddess Neith (fig. 2b), wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, mirrors Sekhmet’s pose. At Pataikos’s back, taking the place of a backpillar, stands the god Nefertum (fig. 2c), the god of the primeval lotus from which the sun god emerges in one version of the Egyptian creation myth. Nefertum is identifiable by his crown, which consists of a large lotus blossom with two plumes projecting from the top and a menat (necklace counterpoise) hanging from each side.^[6]3

Figs. 2a–c

Together, Ptah, Sekhmet, and the young Nefertum formed the divine triad centered in the city of Memphis, Egypt’s capital throughout much of its ancient history. The presence of Sekhmet and Nefertum on the Chicago amulet is likely rooted in the affinity between Pataikos and Ptah, and Ptah’s familial connections to the other deities. There are several known examples of this style of amulet depicting Pataikos flanked by Sekhmet and Neith with Nefertum behind.^[7] Although the color of the glaze on this example is uneven, its scale and the detail of its subsidiary figures indicate its value. Pataikos amulets first appear during the New Kingdom, but this distinct subtype was a development of the Third Intermediate Period.^[8]4

Many Pataikos figures, like this example, are quite large in scale for amulets. Some have been found in domestic contexts, suggesting that they were worshipped in household shrines.^[9] Others, including an amulet from Matmar depicting Pataikos accompanied by Nefertum, Neith, and Sekhmet, were buried with their owners, so that the deities could assist in the rebirth of the deceased.^[10] A hole pierced behind the nape of the figure’s neck so that it could be strung and worn points to its amuletic function, whether it was used in life, after death, or both.5

For more on amulets, see About Amulets.6

Provenance

Reverend Chauncey Murch (1859–1907), Luxor, Egypt; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1894.
7