Bull's-Head Amulet
Unknown Artist
c. 3500–2950 BCE
Medium
amethyst
Dimensions
3.4 × 3.7 × 2.6 cm
Classification
Amulets
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1998.26
About this artwork
This stunning amethyst amulet takes the shape of the head of a bull, an animal renowned from the earliest times in Egypt for its natural strength. The image presented is abstract, with only the most important of the animal features being represented: horns that curl downward in low relief, large eyes, and a narrow, cylindrical snout. The back is pierced horizontally for suspension. A well known but rare type, the bull's head amulet is also one of the earliest of all amulets from ancient Egypt, d...