Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian) · amulet
Amulet of a Clenched Fist
Description
Ancient Egyptians had several terms for small objects like this, which we call “amulets.” Worn by the living and the dead, these charms were meant to bring protection, health, and good luck, ensuring the bearer’s well-being in both life and the afterlife. Body parts were a common subject for amulets because ancient Egyptians believed they would help the deceased be reborn in the afterlife with all their limbs. Many variations of hand amulets exist, showing hands open, attached to arms, or closed into fists, as with this example that depicts the thumb protruding between the middle and index fingers of a clenched left hand.
Cross-references (1)
- ARTIC-id 140812 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Art Institute of Chicago (Egyptian).
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.