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Egyptian Artifacts

Amulets at the Brooklyn Museum

Amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ are some of my favorite objects because I love tiny things! My Nonno always pointed out the Djed Pillar π“Š½ amulets in museums!

The Djed Pillar π“Š½ is representative of stability and is one of the oldest types of amulets, dating back to the Old Kingdom! It is thought to represent the spine of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­! Since the Djed Pillars π“Š½ are associated with Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, they are usually used in funerary contexts. They were usually laid across the lower torso of the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾. Most of the time, Djed Pillar π“Š½ amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ appears in a green/blue 𓇅𓆓𓏛 color, which is used to represent the regeneration. Blue and green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 are the colors of regeneration because they are associated with the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί.

The scarab is the personification is the god Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛, the creator. The scarab amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ were said to be the most powerful of amulets because the the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ believed that the dung beetle (which the scarab was fashioned after) was capable of eternal regeneration. Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 symbolizes a β€œlife cycle” – birth, death, and rebirth in the afterlife. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ spent their lives preparing for death and entering the underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.