Right angle amulet

Late Period–Ptolemaic Period

664–30 B.C.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 127

The surveyor’s level and the right angle were used by architects for leveling a building site. As amulets, they helped to level the balance when the heart was weighed against Maat (the principle of truth and justice). Only if the deceased had acted in his or her lifetime according to Maat was he or she allowed to live on in the netherworld.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Right angle amulet
Period: Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Date: 664–30 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt
Medium: Hematite
Dimensions: L. 1.6 cm (5/8 in), w. 1.4 cm (9/16 in)
Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Object Number: 10.130.1834
Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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