Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History



  • Wedjet eye, Ptolemaic Period (ca. 304–30 b.c.)
    Egyptian
    Gold

    Rogers Fund, 1923 (23.2.68)

    The wedjat-eye amulet represents a human eye with its brow, but the two lines below the eye are often identified as the facial markings of a falcon. The wedjat-eye was supposedly the eye that Seth tore from Horus during a battle over who would lead the gods. Thoth healed the injured eye, returning it to Horus as the "sound one." Wedjat-eye amulets were used from the Old Kingdom through the Roman Period and whether worn as a bracelet for everyday wear or tucked among mummy wrappings, this amulet was effective source of protection, strength and perfection.

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    Wedjet eye, Ptolemaic Period (ca. 304–30 b.c.)
    Egyptian
    Gold

    Rogers Fund, 1923 (23.2.68)


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