Amulet of Taweret
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, reign of Akhenaten (about 1352–1336 BCE)
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
2.8 × 1 × 0.5 cm (1 1/8 × 3/8 × 3/16 in.)
Classification
amulet
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
141284
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This amulet is in the form of the protective Egyptian goddess Taweret ("The Great One" in Egyptian; known as Thoeris in Greek), often depicted as a standing hippopotamus with a round belly. Similar examples have been excavated from Tell el Amarna, a city that had an active glass manufacturing industry.
About the Artist
Ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egyptian artists, a collective of highly skilled artisans spanning over three millennia from the Predynastic period (c. 6000–3150 BC) to the Roman era (30 BC–4th century AD), produced some of humanity's most enduring masterpieces. These anonymous craftsmen, often organized in state-sponsored workshops, lived in dedicated communities like Deir el-Medina near Luxor during the New Kingdom (c....