Baboon
Description
Object Label: Many small ivory and faience baboons have been found in Middle Kingdom tombs. Some scholars believe they functioned as gaming pieces. Others argue that because images of baboons often appear on other protective objects, the figures served as eternal guardians of the deceased. Caption: Baboon, ca. 1938–1700 B.C.E.. Ivory, 1 3/4 x 2 7/8 in. (4.4 x 7.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.121. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A small amulet depicting a squatting baboon figure.
The artifact is a small amulet carved in the shape of a baboon. It exhibits detailed facial features and incised lines on its body, likely representing fur or decorative patterns. The figure is seated and squatting, a common pose for protective amulets in Egyptian art, and it's likely crafted from faience or a similar material.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 36.121 tier-2
- BKM-Object 3389 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- 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.