A thread for my antiquities

[NewStyleKing]

Love that  cone In my humble opinion they did not wear mounds of perfumed fat on their heads, but it is a hieroglyph for perfumed person!

Apullian  Glaux skyphos, Apulian Lekythos, Attic large Glaux skyphos 

[DonnaML]

So nice, you posted them thrice! Could you please delete the duplicates? Or could @Restitutor do it for you?

Seriously, @NewStyleKing, they're great. But be careful with Zurqieh's ushabtis, etc. Most of what he sells is ok, but he's been known to sell fakes. You should join the io group on antiquities and get second opinions. The link is https://groups.io/g/AncientArtifacts

Edited June 9, 2022 by DonnaML

[Restitutor]

2 hours ago, DonnaML said:

So nice, you posted them thrice! Could you please delete the duplicates? Or could @Restitutor do it for you?

Seriously, @NewStyleKing, they're great. But be careful with Zurqieh's ushabtis, etc. Most of what he sells is ok, but he's been known to sell fakes. You should join the io group on antiquities and get second opinions. The link is https://groups.io/g/AncientArtifacts

Thanks Donna! I've removed the duplicates.

[DonnaML]

To follow up on my faience amulet of a reclining lion (probably representing Sekhmet), here's something from the same family: a faience amulet of Bastet.

Egypt, pale blue glazed faience amulet of Bastet, the cat goddess, seated on base, loop in back of neck, left ear missing, 26th Dynasty-Ptolemaic period , ca. 663-300 BCE. 34 mm. H.  Purchased from Harmer Rooke, New York City, 2/26/1990.

[DonnaML]

Three more small artifacts, two of them Egyptian and one from the ancient Near East.

Egypt, 26th Dynasty, ca. 525 BCE. faience plaque of Amset (a/k/a Imset, Imsety), the human-headed son of Horus (one of four sons of Horus usually portrayed together; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_sons_of_Horus#:~:text=The four sons of Horus,, Duamutef, Hapi, Qebehsenuef). 1 3/4" high. Repaired break in upper right corner. Purchased from Harmer Rooke Numismatists, NYC, Jan. 7, 1983.

Together with:

Egypt, circa 600 BCE, Turquoise Blue Faience Djed Pillar (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djed), 30 mm. high. Purchased April 27, 2009, Artemission, London, UK.







Syria or Anatolia, ca. 800-600 BCE, bronze figure of antelope or ibex, 30 mm. H x 30 mm. L. Purchased May 18, 2009, Helios Gallery, Wiltshire, UK; ex Netherlands collector, 1970s.

[DonnaML]

7 hours ago, Restitutor said:

Thanks Donna! I've removed the duplicates.

Maybe there's something wrong with my computer, but I'm still seeing the same post twice on p. 2, with the green ushabti.

[DonnaML]

@NewStyleKing Here's your photo of the back of the ushabti that you seem to have bought from Zurqieh:

Here's the photo of the back of a ushabti that someone named Steve in the io.com ancient artifacts group bought from Zurqieh on ebay:

They look a bit too similar to me. I am suspicious. Unless he somehow acquired a set of ushabtis from the same tomb!

Edited June 10, 2022 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

@NewStyleKing, I posted the two photos in the groups.io ancient artifacts group. One of the experts there said the following: "They look fine to me.  It is quite normal for similar ushabtis to reach the market as a group." So it seems that yours is OK. I admit that I wonder sometimes how Z. is able to acquire his very large and continually-replenished inventory of (mostly rather inexpensive) ancient Egyptian artifacts. It's not as if they come out of the ground in Dubai, where he's located, and it's my understanding that it's illegal in Egypt to export ancient artifacts. Are there really enough of them available on the secondary market in third countries, outside Egypt since before Egypt made such exports illegal, to maintain his supply legally?

[JeandAcre]

@antwerpen2306, that's old hyperarchaic enough to evoke Cro-Magnon stuff.  Amazing.  ...On the other hand, with the profile, the head reminds me of Giacometti.

[JeandAcre]

On 6/7/2022 at 1:23 PM, DonnaML said:

This artifact was originally sold to me as ancient Roman, but the expert who appraised my collection a couple of years ago properly identified it for me:

Ancient Egyptian bronze Schilbe fish, intended as crown attachment of Delta fish-goddess Hatmehyt, with fins and scales detailed, Late Dynastic Period, ca. 700-300 BCE. 77 mm. L. Purchased 12/01/2009, Artemission, London, UK.

Example at Metropolitan Museum of Art, with caption "Schilbe fish, sacred to Hatmehyt":

Illustration of Schilbe fish as crown attachment for Hatmehyt:

@DonnaML, I'm loving how the reattribution was that cool of an upgrade on the original one!

[DonnaML]

Six more Egyptian artifacts for today's post, which makes a total of 41 ancient artifacts that I've posted so far in this thread. I still have about 10 more that I want to post after this.

Egypt, ca. 600-332 BCE, faience amulet of god Khnum (the creator of the bodies of human children, which he made at a potter's wheel, from clay, and placed in their mothers' wombs) in form of brown seated ram, with suspension loop on back; tiny chip on left horn, otherwise intact. Late period, 600-332 BCE. 1 1/2" long. Purchased Jan. 10, 2021, Explorer Ancient Art, NYC (Mark Goodstein). Ex Gustave Moustaki Collection, Alexandria, Egypt, exported to UK 1953 (see https://tinyurl.com/33az6rz5 at p. 3).

Egypt, Late New Kingdom (18th-19th Dynasty), steatite scarab of two Antilopids (Gazelles), mother facing left and baby facing right on impression. 16 mm. L, 13 mm. W/  Purchased from Harmer, Rooke Numismatists, Ltd., New York City, Feb. 27, 1989.


 

Egypt, steatite scarab with hieroglyphs on bottom [translation "The good king of Upper & Lower Egypt, Ankh Keper"*], ca. 1700-1500 BCE (Hyksos period) 17 mm. L. Purchased 27 April, 2009, Artemission, London, UK; ex Bonhams Antiquities auction, 05/01/2008, part of Lot 328.



*Translation provided 27 Jan. 2021 by @antwerpen2306.

Egypt, Late Dynastic Period (1085-332 BCE), green faience amulet of baboon [with man's body?], leaning on pillar, representing Hapi son of Horus[?], sacred to Thoth (god of wisdom, writing, hieroglyphs, science, magic, art, judgment, and the dead) . 1 3/8" high. Purchased from Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, Mar. 29, 1986.

Egypt, faience amulet of the Eye of Horus (Uzat Eye), green with brown relief, 26th Dynasty, ca. 525 BCE, 34 mm. W; 24 mm. H, purchased Jan. 7, 1983, Harmer Rooke, New York City.*

*See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus:

"The Eye of Horus, wedjat eye or udjat eye is a concept and symbol in ancient Egyptian religion that represents well-being, healing, and protection. It derives from the mythical conflict between the god Horus with his rival Set, in which Set tore out or destroyed one or both of Horus's eyes and the eye was subsequently healed or returned to Horus with the assistance of another deity, such as Thoth. Horus subsequently offered the eye to his deceased father Osiris, and its revivifying power sustained Osiris in the afterlife. The Eye of Horus was thus equated with funerary offerings, as well as with all the offerings given to deities in temple ritual. . . . The Eye of Horus symbol, a stylized eye with distinctive markings, was believed to have protective magical power and appeared frequently in ancient Egyptian art. It was one of the most common motifs for amulets, remaining in use from the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BC) to the Roman period (30 BC – 641 AD)."

Egypt, glazed green faience amulet of dwarf god Bes (protector god of pregnant women and children), Late Dynastic Period, ca. 730-332 BCE, 44 mm. H x 28 mm. W.  Purchased 22 Aug. 2007, Helios Gallery, UK, ex private collection, Wiltshire, UK.

Edited June 11, 2022 by DonnaML

[Octavius]

  Beautiful Egyptian artifacts @DonnaML. I love this thread -  makes me feel like Indiana Jones.

[DonnaML]

18 hours ago, Octavius said:

  Beautiful Egyptian artifacts @DonnaML. I love this thread -  makes me feel like Indiana Jones.

You've posted a lot of amazing artifacts yourself in this thread, @Octavius! I am extremely impressed.

[DonnaML]

Here's another artifact, together with a related coin as a bonus.

This is my first and only artifact that was formerly on display at a museum (in Atlanta), where it was on loan for a number of years. Despite the feet being broken off, I think the details are extremely well-preserved.

Egypt, pale green faience amulet of Ptah, depicted wearing skull cap, straight false beard, broad collar, body with mummiform shape, hands emerging to grasp large was-scepter, a symbol of power & dominion (long, straight staff with forked lower end & stylized jackal head on top with eye visible); pierced for suspension; pillar in back; missing feet; Late Period, 722-322 BCE. 46 mm. high. Purchased March 6, 2021, T. Squintlee Gallery, Bristow, VA (Richard Banks). Ex. Sands of Time Ancient Art, Wash, DC, purchased by R. Banks 5/09/2015 ; previously on loan by private NY collector to Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta GA, 1998-2015 (Loan # L1998.62.44) ; originally purchased as part of group lot at Sotheby’s auction ca. 1998. [I have not been able to determine which auction or lot number.]*











On display at the Carlos Museum at Emory:





In group photo of wall display at museum, top row, second from left;



* From Ptah article in Wikipedia: Ptah "is an ancient Egyptian deity, the god of craftsmen and architects. In the triad of Memphis, he is the husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertem. He was also regarded as the father of the sage Imhotep. . . . Ptah is an Egyptian creator god who existed before all other things and, by his will, thought the world into existence. It was first conceived by Thought, and realized by the Word: Ptah conceives the world by the thought of his heart and gives life through the magic of his Word. . . .
Ptah is generally represented in the guise of a man with green skin, contained in a shroud sticking to the skin, wearing the divine beard, and holding a sceptre combining three powerful symbols of ancient Egyptian religion: The Was sceptre,
The sign of life, Ankh, The Djed pillar. These three combined symbols indicate the three creative powers of the god: power (was), life (ankh) and stability (djed)."

Also from Wikipedia: "Gradually he formed with Osiris a new deity called Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Statuettes representing the human form, the half-human, half-hawk form, or simply the pure falcon form of the new deity began to be systematically placed in tombs to accompany and protect the dead on their journey to the West."

And here is my Roman Alexandrian coin of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris:

Hadrian, Billon Tetradrachm, Year 12 (127/128 AD), Alexandria, Egypt Mint. Obv. Laureate, draped, and cuirassed bust right, seen from rear, ΑΥΤ ΚΑΙ - ΤΡΑΙ ΑΔΡΙΑ ϹƐΒ / Rev. Mummiform Ptah-Sokar-Osiris* standing right, wearing solar disk as headdress, holding was scepter tipped with jackal head, L ΔWΔƐ-ΚΑΤΟΥ [= Year 12 spelled out]. RPC [Roman Provincial Coinage] Vol. III 5713 (2015); RPC III Online at https://rpc.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/3/5713, Emmett 883.12 [Emmett, Keith, Alexandrian Coins (Lodi, WI, 2001)]; BMC 16 Alexandria 637 & Pl. XXIII [Pool, Reginald Stuart, A Catalog of the Greek Coins in the British Museum, Vol. 16, Alexandria (London, 1892)]; Sear RCV II 3732; Köln 982 [Geissen, A., Katalog alexandrinischer Kaisermünzen, Köln, Band II (Hadrian-Antoninus Pius) (Cologne, 1978, corrected reprint 1987)]; Dattari (Savio) 1445 [Savio, A. ed., Catalogo completo della collezione Dattari Numi Augg. Alexandrini (Trieste, 2007)]; Milne 1259 [Milne, J., A Catalogue of the Alexandrian Coins in the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, 1933, reprint with supplement by Colin M. Kraay); K&G 32.458. 24 mm., 13.85 g., 11 h.



*From the description in the CNG Triton XXI Catalog (Staffieri Collection, Jan 9. 2018) of the example from the Dattari Collection (No. 1445), sold in the Triton XXI auction as Lot 61: The image of the Ptah-Sokar-Osiris divinity belongs to Egyptian theology, and in particular to funeral worship. It brings together three famous members of the Pharaonic Pantheon through their respective symbols: the headdress and scepter for Ptah, the solar disk for Osiris, and the mummiform wrappings for Sokar – the "Lord of the Necropolis." These three associated divinities call upon the concepts of "mourning" and "life", evoking at the same time the pain associated with death and the hope of resurrection. The main sanctuaries of Ptah, Sokar, and Osiris were at Memphis and Abydos.

Note that the amulet of Ptah and the coin depicting Ptah-Sokar-Osiris do bear a certain resemblance in the basic mummiform shape, the skull-cap, the was scepter, etc.

Edited June 11, 2022 by DonnaML

[DonnaML]

My second artifact for today, with apologies in advance for the length of the write-up:

Unlike some here, I have never been an enthusiastic Egyptian scarab collector, although I do have two others that I posted earlier in this thread. But I saw one offered last year by a German dealer on a well-known art/antiquities platform; it caught my eye largely because of its animal theme. I bought it even though it was completely unattributed, with no information on its date or place of origin, or even a description of what it portrayed. But people in the io.com ancient artifacts group agreed that it appears to be authentic, and after quite a bit of research I was able to find a couple of closely comparable scarabs in museums, and form a fairly good idea of its period and possible place of origin.

Here are a couple of photos from the dealer, who described it only as a "glazed black steatite" scarab (I have strong doubts that it's actually stone, rather than a glazed composition/pottery scarab), 2.3 cm. long. The dealer professed not to know more than that about its origin (something that may or may not be true!), stating that his specialty is ushabtis, not scarabs, and that he bought the scarab in 2006 from another German dealer together with a ushabti.



I didn't have to do any research to see that the scarab has the remnants of a bluish glaze, and to identify the animal as a crouching lion, with a sun disk above its body probably representing Ra (or Amun-Ra after the merger of those two deities' identities). I couldn't tell more than that -- and still don't know as a certainty all that much about the scarab's symbolism, or its meaning (if any) in hieroglyphics.

Here are some photos I took after I received the scarab from Germany:









I have to ask myself, if the scarab is really made of steatite, then what's the pale brownish material that seems to be showing through from underneath the glaze, both on the top and the underside?

I also made an impression with Sculpey:



The scarab and the impression together (the scarab isn't actually that blue; it looks more like the photos above):



By doing some research (for instance, googling "lion," "sun disk," and "scarab"), I was able to find a drawing of a comparable scarab at the lower right of this picture at p. 35 of the famous archaeologist Flinders Petrie's book Historical Scarabs (1889), available online:



The "XXVI" on the upper left refers to the 26th Dynasty, and I interpret the handwriting beneath the drawing of the similar scarab as reading "blue-green gone brown," and as identifying the scarab as made of "pot[tery]." The handwriting at the top suggests that perhaps the symbol of lion and sun disk refers to the title of the 26th Dynasty pharaoh Psemthek I (= Psammetichus I = Psamtik I, the more current spelling). The book identifies the scarab as being in the collection of University College, London. The scarab is indeed very similar to mine (something rather unusual to find, I think), although the placement of the other markings besides the lion and sun disk is somewhat different from mine, and the part of the lion beneath the back part of its body appears definitely to be its tail. So mine is certainly not just a copy.

I found a small photo of what appears to be the same scarab at Plate LV, No. 4 of Petrie's later book Scarabs and Cylinders with Names (1917), consisting entirely of artifacts from the UCL collection. The plate also references the 26th Dynasty, and Psemthek I:



The description of # 4 on Plate LV: (from the same book) gives place of discovery, the material, and the color, namely Teh el Barud, made of pottery, color "Blue, burnt [sic] red-brown."



It seems from this book I found on Google Books that Teh el Barud is near Naukratis in the Nile Delta -- which was the site of some well-known expeditions that Petrie conducted in the 1884 and 1885 seasons:

The Egypt of the Hebrews and Herodotos
by Archibald Henry Sayce (Author)

1896. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... "APPENDIX VI ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCURSIONS IN THE DELTA (1) Tel el-Yehudiyeh or Onion.--Take the train from Cairo at 10 A.m., reaching Shibin el-Qanater at 12.25. Leave Shibin el-Qanater at 5.57 P.m., reaching Cairo at 6.50. Donkeys can be procured at Shibin, but it is a pleasant walk of a mile and a half through the fields (towards the south-east) to the Tel. There is a cafi at Shibin adjoining the station, but it is advisable to take lunch from Cairo. (2) Kom el-Atrib or Athribis.--The mounds lie close to the station of Benha el-'Asal, north-east of the town, and can easily be explored between two trains. All trains between Cairo and Alexandria stop at Benha. (3) Naukratis.--The mounds of Naukratis (Kom Qa'if) lie nearly five miles due west of the station of Teh el-Barud on the line between Cairo and Alexandria, where all trains stop except the express. The first half of the walk is along a good road under an avenue of trees, but after a village is reached it leads through fields. Donkeys are not always to be had at Teh el-Barud. The low mounds west of the station are not earlier than the Roman period."

See also Baedeker's Egypt for 1898, at p. 21:

"53 1/2 M. Teh el-Barud, a village with a large mound of ruins, is the junction for a branch-line skirting the W. coast of the Nile delta. None of the express-trains stop here.

This branch-line is an alternative route to Cairo, but is of no importance to tourists. . . . About 3 M. to the W. of Teh el-Barud, near the modern Nebireh, on the ancient Canopic arm of the Nile, lie the ruins of Naucratis, a Greek commercial city, founded by Aahmes. The ruins, discovered by Prof. Flinders Petrie and excavated in 1885, do not repay a visit."

Thus, I was able to narrow down a possible place of origin for my scarab, on the theory that it's where an extremely similar one was found.

Petrie's 1917 book Scarabs and Cylinders with Names also offers a possible interpretation of the lion and sun disk motif, in its text explicating Plate LV:



So, according to this theory, the Ra (sun disk) and lion motif on my scarab could be a reference to the royal badge of Psamtik I, of the 26th Dynasty, who reigned from 664–610 BCE.

Interestingly, the comparable scarab I discovered is still in the collection of the University College, London, now known as the Petrie Museum, bearing the number UC.14707:





The design of the top (scarab) side is quite different from mine, but I still think the bottom side is really quite similar.

I found a second comparable lion and sun disk scarab (albeit not quite as similar) in the British Museum's collection as No. EA23617; see https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA23617. Here are two of the British Museum's photos of that scarab:





A drawing of the same scarab can be found as No. 42 at Plate xxxvii of another publication by Petrie (Naukratis, Part I, 1884–5 (Third Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Fund), London), from 1886, recording the finds during the Naukratis digs in 1884-85 -- in other words, very close to the find spot of the first comparable scarab at Teh el Barud, three miles from Naukratis (see previous post).

The text accompanying these photos at the British Museum's website states as follows in pertinent part:

"Object Type scarab
Museum number EA23617
Description Mould-made scarab in glazed composition; back simply modelled with single outlines indicating clypeus, prothorax and elytra; at side, legs very simplified, indicated by two broken horizontal grooves; underside decorated with representation of a recumbent lion to right and sun-disc above its back; motif stamped rather than incised, encircled by groove near edge; longitudinally pierced; glossy yellow glaze well preserved; no core visible.
Cultures/periods 26th Dynasty Production date 600 BC-570 BC (mainly).
Production place Made in: Scarab Factory Africa: Egypt: Lower Egypt: Nile Delta: Naukratis: Scarab Factory
Excavator/field collector Excavated by: Egypt Exploration Fund Findspot Found/Acquired: Naukratis Africa: Egypt: Lower Egypt: Nile Delta: Naukratis.
Materials glazed composition Technique glazed mould-made stamped pierced
Dimensions Length: 1.15 centimetres Thickness: 0.60 centimetres Width: 0.90 centimetres.
Curator's comments: . . .
Scarabs with a lion motif depicted on the base belong to a standard group produced at the “Scarab Factory” (on its various productions, see Webb forthcoming). Petrie illustrated a number of different versions (Petrie 1886, pl. XXXVII, 34-45). This scarab belongs to a type which was widely distributed in the Mediterranean area and Southern Russia (Gorton 1996, 93, 95-96, type XXVIII A, subtype A49-72, especially A50 for this piece)."

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the Gorton book -- Gorton, Andrée Feghali, Egyptian and Egyptianizing scarabs: a typology of steatite, faience, and paste scarabs from Punic and other Mediterranean sites (Oxford, 1996). But it seems that the suggestion is that even if my scarab was produced at the "Scarab Factory" at Naukratis (or Teh el Barud), it could have been found in many other places.

The material composition of my scarab, then, may well be relevant to the question of its place of origin: if it's really made of glazed steatite (a/k/a soapstone), as the dealer suggested, than it would have to have been carved. But if it's actually made of glazed pottery or composition material, then the chances are it was made in a mold, like the two comparable scarabs and other products of the "Scarab Factory."

Leaving aside the question of my scarab's material and turning again to its possible interpretation, I found an article at the British Museum's website proposing an alternative meaning, namely that the lion and sun disk motif, rather than being the royal badge of Psamtik I, may instead be a coded reference to Amun-Ra in his capacity as the Hidden One, with the meaning revealed via the process of acrophony. See Naukratis: Greeks in Egypt; Scarabs, scaraboids and amulets, by Aurelia Masson, at pp. 26 & 28-29 below. The third photo on p. 28 depicts the British Museum lion and sun disk scarab No. EA23617.



So, based on all that research, here's my description of this scarab:

Egypt, Scarab with seated Lion[ess] & Sun Disk above its back, glazed blue on underside [Material: pottery composition (cast) under glaze, or black steatite as stated by dealer], Late Period, ca. 26th Dynasty (possibly Psemthek I = Psammetichus I, Psamtik I), with accompanying Sculpey impression. 23 mm. L. Purchased 2/15/2021, A.v.d.B Egyptian Artifacts [Andreas van dem Berge], Gescher, Germany. Possible origin: Scarab Factory, area of Naucratis & Teh El Barud, Nile Delta, see comparable Lion & Sun Disk scarabs from that area in Petrie Museum (UCL) [# UC.14707] & British Museum [# EA23617], with alternate interpretations of meaning of those symbols, set forth in Petrie, F., Scarabs & Cylinders with Names (1917) (Pl. LV No. 4), & Masson, A., British Museum article "Naukratis: Greeks in Egypt, Scarabs, Scaraboids and Amulets" (at pp. 27-29).

If anyone has any further thoughts on all this, of course they're more than welcome.

Edited June 11, 2022 by DonnaML

[Kamnaskires]

Always nice to have that kind of provenance for an artifact (the Ptah amulet). Interesting to compare the 3D faience version with a die engraver’s interpretation.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Kamnaskires

[Limes]

Looks like a youve got a little museum going on Donna. Lovely stuff, especially the greek vases. For now, I'll keep my museum focussed on coins. I don't think my better half would appreciate more ancient stuff on display. 

[LONGINUS]

Amazing and beautiful objets d’art, DonnaML !

[Octavius]

 As always, beautiful artifacts and informative. Thank you.

[DonnaML]

For today, on the assumption that people are sufficiently interested for me to keep going, two small artifacts.

1. Egypt, large pale blue/green faience papyrus pillar/scepter (Wadj scepter) amulet, suspension loop at top, break repaired in middle. Middle/Late Period, 664-323 BCE. 70 mm. (2 5/8") L. Purchased 02/12/2018, Ancient Resource (Gabriel Vandervort), Montrose, CA, USA.*

Here are multiple images of the amulet in one photo provided by the dealer. I don't think the repaired break is too distracting.

*"The Wadj Sceptre is a rolled papyrus scroll, and in amulet form was thought to give the wearer eternal youth. The papyrus was used in the hieroglyphic script for the word ‘wadj‘, meaning 'fresh,' making it an appropriate talisman for the preservation of the body. The papyrus sceptre thus symbolised new life and regeneration, and so held particular significance for the deceased in the afterlife. Books 159 and 160 of the Book of the Dead refer to a Wadj amulet made of feldspar being placed at the throat of the mummy. However, amulets were made just as often in the more affordable medium of faience, which was green in colour to mimic feldspar." See https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/amulets/egyptian-feldspar-papyrus-sceptre-amulet/#:~:text=The papyrus was used in,the deceased in the afterlife. See also  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadj_amulet :  "Wadj amulets were a symbol of eternal youth, and were often placed upon a dead body around the neck upon burial to ensure eternal youth in the afterlife. The amulets have been dated to the Late Period of Egypt, specifically between the 26th and 30th dynasties (664–332 BC). Spells from the Book of the Dead state that if a wadj amulet is found intact, the wearer is healthy in the afterlife."

2. Egypt, green faience amulet (turned brown on one side) of sow, representing the sky goddess Nut,* Third Intermediate (Late) Period, ca. 600 BCE, 30 mm. L. Purchased from Collector Antiquities (Dr. Bron Lipkin), London, UK, 04/04/2021; ex Christopher J. Martin, London, UK, 1992 (from Israeli collection).

 

Dealer's photos -- as is often the case, the color in hand is somewhere in between the bright green of the dealer's photos and the more subdued green of my photos. The reality is closer to my photos, I think.

*From dealer's description: "The sow is thought to be a reference to Nut’s role as the sky goddess giving birth to, and then devouring the sun each day, as some sows devour their young."

How many of you have ever thought of the sky and sun as a sow giving birth to and then devouring her young every day?

A couple of ancient coins portraying sows:

Roman Republic, C. Sulpicius C.f. Galba, AR Serrate Denarius, 106 BCE, Rome Mint. Obv. Jugate heads of Dei Penates left, D•P•P [Dei Penates Publici]  beneath heads / Rev. Two soldiers facing each other, holding spears and pointing at sow lying down between them; S above; in exergue: C•SVL•ICI•C•F. [Indication of undertype on right of reverse, causing loss of detail.]  RSC I Sulpicia 1, Crawford 312/1, Sydenham 572, BMCRR Rome 1324, Sear RCV I 189 (ill.)  18.12 mm., 3.83 g. [See Sear RCV I at p. 108: “Crawford’s interpretation of this interesting type seems the most convincing: it refers to Aeneas’ [landing at and founding of] Lavinium (home of the Sulpicia gens) with the Penates, and the subsequent miracle of the great white sow [giving birth to 30 piglets], which foretold the founding of Alba Longa,” where the soil was more fertile, 30 years later.] (Ex. Madroosi Collection [Joe Blazick]).

Titus Caesar (son of Vespasian). AR Denarius 77=78 AD, Rome Mint. Obv. Laureate head right, T CAESAR VESPASIANVS (counterclockwise from lower right) / Rev. Sow standing left with three piglets, two standing below her and one behind; in exergue, IMP XIII. RIC II.1 986 (Vespasian) (2007 ed.), RSC II 104, Sear RCV I 2443, BMCRE 227. 18.5 mm., 3.17 g.

Edited June 13, 2022 by DonnaML

[Spaniard]

7 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

For today, on the assumption that people are sufficiently interested for me to keep going, two small artifacts.

I don't understand why you've said this Donna?...At least for me I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride!...Your examples are really beautiful and I've learnt a great deal from your descriptions and write ups...I don't really have anything to add to your posts apart from fibulii, which doesn't really fit...But I do enjoy reading your posts....Keep them coming please...

Paul

[DonnaML]

4 minutes ago, Spaniard said:

I don't understand why you've said this Donna?...At least for me I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride!...Your examples are really beautiful and I've learnt a great deal from your descriptions and write ups...I don't really have anything to add to your posts apart from fibulii, which doesn't really fit...But I do enjoy reading your posts....Keep them coming please...

Paul

Sorry, just my insecurities talking -- I'm a bit self-conscious about taking up too much space here. It helps that we have an "official" antiquities/artifacts forum, unlike at the other place. 

[Spaniard]

 

4 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

It helps that we have an "official" antiquities/artifacts forum, unlike at the other place. 

Exactly, that's why you have to keep posting your wonderful pieces and educate us all.....Thanks

[DonnaML]

1 hour ago, Spaniard said:

 

Exactly, that's why you have to keep posting your wonderful pieces and educate us all.....Thanks

And if people don't find this kind of thing of interest, I guess they can just eliminate this forum from their "feed." 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by DonnaML

[Steve]

Wow Donna, you are so cool ... you have a lot of cool stuff (I like it!)

 

Ummm, I do have a couple of very cool scarubs (wanna see 'em?) 

=> okay, here they are 

 

2nd Intermediate Period Steatite scarab (below)

Circa 1650-1550 BC

Diameter: 23 x 16 mm

Obverse: Base engraved with an antelope walking right; palm branches in field. A few minor chips and cracks, otherwise intact, part of greenish-brown glaze remaining, pierced for mounting.

From the David Hendin Collection

 

 

2nd Intermediate Period Steatite scarab (below)

Circa 1650-1550 BC

Diameter: 21 x 15 mm

Obverse: Base engraved with two crocodiles back-to-back. Intact, once glazed, pierced for mounting.

From the David Hendin Collection

 

Ummm, meanwhile, we snagged this very cool "antique" tea-cart ... cool enough, right?

Edited June 12, 2022 by Steve