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This rare Egyptian carved carnelian frog amulet dates to the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom, circa 1300 BC. Frog amulets, depicting the goddess Heket, were commonly worn by both the living as a fertility charm and the dead to provide rejuvenation and a long afterlife.
The ancient amulet is pierced horizontally and set into a later gold swivel mount, probably dating from the late 19th century. The design of the gold mount inspired by rings worn by the ancient Egyptians and Etruscans with its swivel bezel and coiled wire on the shoulders.
The immense number of offspring made the frog an important symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, and carved frog amulets were worn by women hoping for an easy delivery. This is exemplified with the goddess and protector of birth, Keket, who was depicted as a frog. After death, frog amulets would be placed within the wrappings of mummies, both men and women, in hope of a successful rebirth in the afterlife.
The association between this amphibian and rebirth may have been induced by the fact that every year, millions of frogs spontaneously appeared out of the river mud and filled the fields after the annual inundation of the Nile. This caused the Egyptians to believe that they spontaneously generated themselves out of the river mud. The influence of frogs in Ancient Egypt can be seen in the language, the hieroglyphic sign for "one hundred thousand" was a tadpole, and one of the Egyptian terms denoting "frogs" is whm-anx, meaning literally "they who repeat life."
Similar examples of ancient Egyptian carved stone frogs all date to the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.). The period known especially for monumental architecture and statuary honouring the gods and pharaohs, the New Kingdom, a period of nearly 500 years of political stability and economic prosperity, also produced an abundance of artistic masterpieces created for use by non-royal individuals.
The amulet rotates partially around the swivel mount. The ring is unmarked but tests as high-karat gold (20K gold / 21K gold). The dimensions of the amulet on its longest axes are: 2cm x 1.5cm x 0.8cm.
UK ring size H, US size 3.75
The ring weighs 5.57 grams.
This rare Egyptian carved carnelian frog amulet dates to the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom, circa 1300 BC. Frog amulets, depicting the goddess Heket, were commonly worn by both the living as a fertility charm and the dead to provide rejuvenation and a long afterlife.
The ancient amulet is pierced horizontally and set into a later gold swivel mount, probably dating from the late 19th century. The design of the gold mount inspired by rings worn by the ancient Egyptians and Etruscans with its swivel bezel and coiled wire on the shoulders.
The immense number of offspring made the frog an important symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt, and carved frog amulets were worn by women hoping for an easy delivery. This is exemplified with the goddess and protector of birth, Keket, who was depicted as a frog. After death, frog amulets would be placed within the wrappings of mummies, both men and women, in hope of a successful rebirth in the afterlife.
The association between this amphibian and rebirth may have been induced by the fact that every year, millions of frogs spontaneously appeared out of the river mud and filled the fields after the annual inundation of the Nile. This caused the Egyptians to believe that they spontaneously generated themselves out of the river mud. The influence of frogs in Ancient Egypt can be seen in the language, the hieroglyphic sign for "one hundred thousand" was a tadpole, and one of the Egyptian terms denoting "frogs" is whm-anx, meaning literally "they who repeat life."
Similar examples of ancient Egyptian carved stone frogs all date to the New Kingdom of Egypt (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.). The period known especially for monumental architecture and statuary honouring the gods and pharaohs, the New Kingdom, a period of nearly 500 years of political stability and economic prosperity, also produced an abundance of artistic masterpieces created for use by non-royal individuals.
The amulet rotates partially around the swivel mount. The ring is unmarked but tests as high-karat gold (20K gold / 21K gold). The dimensions of the amulet on its longest axes are: 2cm x 1.5cm x 0.8cm.
UK ring size H, US size 3.75
The ring weighs 5.57 grams.
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