Baboon amulet

This small bronze amulet has a rough shaping and was preserved in a poor condition, so its details are difficult to recognise. It depicts a squatting hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas). Its paw is resting on its knee, while its male member is clearly visible between the legs. The baboon was the sacred animal and manifestation of the god Thoth. Theriomorph amulets representing the god were rare before the New Kingdom, but became common from the end of the Ramesside period.

The owner of them hoped to benefit from their magical powers when identified with the god, but they could also be seen as a sign of honour to the god. Thoth was the god of writing and the protector of scribes, so the amulet was primarily made for a scribe. When placed in the tomb of the owner, it provided support for the afterlife, and for rebirth. Thot’s role in the afterlife was crucial. According to the best-known funerary text, the Book of the Dead, which provides guidance in the afterlife, during the so-called Weighing of the Heart, Thoth, as the scribe of the gods, recorded the results of the weighing and could thus prevent the entry to the afterlife. The baboon’s relationship with the sun is also important in the context of renewal. The animal greets the sunrise in the morning with a peculiar ritual thus the baboon was thought to possess a special knowledge that could support the deceased in their transformation from Osiris to Ra, and in rebirth.