Foundation Figurine
1 of 3
Object Label
Preserving the name of the deceased was essential to rebirth in the afterlife. In the Roman Period, wooden tags were attached to mummies to help preserve the name for eternity. In Greek the tag on the right (37.1395E) reads, “Horos, son of Psenmonthes, stonecutter”; in Demotic Egyptian it reads, “The Osiris, Horus, son of Psenmonth, the stonecutter and the Prophet of Imhotep.” The tag on the left reads in Greek, “Pecheisis, son of Apollonius. He lived fifty-eight years.”
Caption
Sumerian; Ancient Near Eastern. Foundation Figurine, ca. 2900 B.C.E.–2500 B.C.E.. Copper alloy, 5 11/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 in. (14.5 x 5 x 2.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The Roebling Society, 81.7. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Cultures
Title
Foundation Figurine
Date
ca. 2900 B.C.E.–2500 B.C.E.
Period
Early Dynastic II Period
Geography
Place made: Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq, Turkey, & Syria)
Medium
Copper alloy
Classification
Dimensions
5 11/16 x 1 15/16 x 1 in. (14.5 x 5 x 2.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of The Roebling Society
Accession Number
81.7
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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