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Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) · other

Ivory label incised with an early hieroglyph that may be the image of a bundle of arrows

Source of record: Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access) — catalogued by the holding institution. View the original record →

Description

Label, bundle of arrows. Early Dynastic Period, Dynasty 1, ca. 2650 B.C. Wood, ink. H: 3.7cm (1 7/16 in.); W: 3.3 cm (1 5/16 in.); th: 0.7 cm (1/4 in.). From: Umm el-Qaab, Tomb of Djer, Abydos, Northern Upper Egypt, Egypt. Excavation: Egypt Exploration Fund excavations. Subject: Hieroglyphs. Credit: Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1901.

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A small rectangular ivory label with a drilled hole at one corner, bearing a dark incised/painted early hieroglyphic sign centered on one face.

The image shows a small, thick, rectangular object with squared edges, light ivory/cream in color, with a single round drill hole near the upper-left corner. On the main face, there is a vertical band of darker marking in the center, with an elongated, possibly incised sign or stroke that appears darker than the surrounding surface. Faint tool marks and surface wear are visible across the face. No clear full set of hieroglyphs is readable beyond the single central early sign-like motif; there is no legible Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text. No cartouche or royal name is clearly identifiable. The object is photographed against a neutral background; only the front face is visible.

hieroglyphic only Early Dynastic Period (as catalogued) good
Materials ivory
Signs unknown early hieroglyphic sign (single central stroke/vertical motif; may correspond to a 'bundle of arrows' type sign but not confirmable)
Visible text "Unclear central incised/inked early hieroglyph; details not fully legible in the image."

Connections

Found at Abydos
Materials Ivory

Cross-references (4)

  • Wikidata-Q Q116249696 tier-1
  • Collection-QID Q160236 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • Inventory-Number 01.4.162 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
  • MET-Object 551834 tier-2 (wikidata-mediated)
About this record's data
  • From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Metropolitan Museum of Art — Egyptian Art (Open Access).
  • 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.