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

Fragment of an ivory tag

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

Description

ivory tab, Den. Early Dynastic Period, Dynasty 1, reign of Den, ca. 3013–2999 B.C. Ivory. W. 3 x H. 1.4 cm (1 3/16 x 9/16 in.). From: Umm el-Qaab, Tomb of Den, near, Abydos, Northern Upper Egypt, Egypt. Excavation: Egypt Exploration Fund excavations, 1909. Credit: Gift of Egypt Exploration Fund, 1909.

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 fragment of worked material with a dark incised motif on its surface, photographed against a light background.

The image shows a single small fragment with irregular edges and a flat, polished-looking surface. Along the center/left area there is a dark, incised or stamped design resembling a hieroglyphic-like shape (possibly a bird or emblem), with another small dark mark near the right side. No full border, cartouche, or legible inscription is visible; only partial motifs can be made out. The overall appearance is consistent with a carved or incised ivory tag fragment as described in the catalogue, though the photo quality and the fragmentary nature limit identification of specific signs or royal names. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is apparent.

unclear Early Dynastic Period (per catalogue); exact sign style not securely identifiable from the fragment. fragmentary
Materials ivory (catalogue-specified; appearance suggests light, worked organic material)
Signs Unidentified incised motif (partial, hieroglyph-like shape; resembles a bird/emblem but not secure)
Visible text "Partial, non-fully legible incised motif(s); no complete text or cartouche visible."

Inscriptions (1)

Inscription #1 AI reading of the photograph

Visible text (machine reading)

Partial, non-fully legible incised motif(s); no complete text or cartouche visible.

Connections

Found at Abydos
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.