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Wadjet-eye Ring

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
Rings

The earliest Egyptian rings were purely decorative, but later rings came to carry significance.


By the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom, they were frequently inscribed with the name of a god, a king, or the owner. The most popular type was made of faience and bore the name of the reigning monarch. Archaeologists have discovered thousands of these simple, mold-made rings; they were probably distributed as mementos at religious or state celebrations. Other rings feature protective symbols, including the wedjat-eye. Wealthy members of Eighteenth Dynasty society often wore rings made of inlaid glass or semiprecious stones.
MEDIUM Faience
  • Place Excavated: Tell el-Amarna, Egypt
  • DATES ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E.
    DYNASTY Dynasty 18
    PERIOD New Kingdom, Amarna Period
    DIMENSIONS 3/8 x Diam. 9/16 in. (0.9 x 1.5 cm)  (show scale)
    ACCESSION NUMBER 34.6050
    CREDIT LINE Gift of the Egypt Exploration Society
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor
    CAPTION Wadjet-eye Ring, ca. 1352–1336 B.C.E. Faience, 3/8 x Diam. 9/16 in. (0.9 x 1.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Egypt Exploration Society, 34.6050. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.34.6050_erg456.jpg)
    IMAGE in situ, CUR.34.6050_erg456.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
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    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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