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Sobek as a crocodile, early Ptolemaic Period (ca. 304–247 B.C.)
Egyptian
Faience
Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.96)

Crocodiles were dangerous animals, but Sobek, probably the divinity depicted in this amulet, was a benevolent water deity. The Nile issuing from his sweat made the valley productive, and as a fertility god he was linked to the myth surrounding rebirth in the afterlife. The fine quality of this piece suggests it was a temple offering.


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    Sobek as a crocodile, early Ptolemaic Period (ca. 304–247 B.C.)
    Egyptian
    Faience
    Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.96)