My sister π’ππ said that this piece from the Brooklyn Museum reminds her of the childrenβs book βRainbow Fish,β and now I canβt unsee it!!
This beautifully π€ colored fish ππ π represents a tilapia! The Egyptians πππππͺ viewed the tilapia as a symbol of regeneration and rebirth. Both of these things were super important in the Egyptian religion, so they held tilapia in very high regard!
What is so cool about this piece is that it is actually a rattle! There are little clay pellets inside of it, which represents the eggs. This was most likely a ritual object; either played during childbirth or placed in a tomb ππ«ππ to help the deceased π ππ± with their rebirth!
The blue π ππ coloring on the fish ππ π is purely decorative as tilapia are not this color in real life! This piece is estimated to be from the Amarna period and the rule of Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ.