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Ba Amulet

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

The Egyptians worked with gold and semiprecious stones from earliest times. They mined both types of material in the desert east of the Nile and in present-day Sudan, called “Nubia” in ancient times after the ancient Egyptian word for gold (nub). Clearly, objects made from these high-value materials were available only to the highest ranks of society.
MEDIUM Gold
  • Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt
  • DATES 664-343 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 26 to Dynasty 30
    PERIOD Late Period
    DIMENSIONS 7/8 x 1 5/8 x 1/4 in. (2.2 x 4.2 x 0.6 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 37.805E
    CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Gold ba-bird with outstretched wings. The back of the head, rear of the body and the wings are made of one piece of metal. The details are chased. The front of the body, to which is attached an eyelet, is made from another piece of gold and is executed in repousse and chasing. The creature wears a bag wig; the facial features are those of the Late Period. Condition: Small hole near one leg.
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Ba Amulet, 664-343 B.C.E. Gold, 7/8 x 1 5/8 x 1/4 in. (2.2 x 4.2 x 0.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.805E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.805E_front_PS2.jpg)
    IMAGE front, 37.805E_front_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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