Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.967E_overall.JPG)
Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.967E_back.JPG)
Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.967E_erg2.jpg)
Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.967E_negA_bw.jpg)
Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , CUR.37.971E_37.987E_37.968E_37.965E_37.966E_37.967E_grpA_bw.jpg)
Amulet of a Birth God, ca. 1539-1478 B.C.E. Faience, 1 1/4 x 5/8 x 1/8 in. (3.2 x 1.6 x 0.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.967E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.965E_37.966E_37.967E_37.968E_37.971E_37.987E_GrpA_SL4.jpg)
Amulet of a Birth God
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
Ancient Egyptian women wore amulets of birth gods to protect them during and immediately after childbirth. One of these birth gods, a female deity often known as Taweret, was shown with the head and body of a hippopotamus, lion's paws, and a stylized crocodile hanging down her back. Her male counterpart, commonly called Bes, usually appeared frontally. In early Dynasty 18, artists depicted Bes with a human face and a lion's body and mane.
