Isis knot (tyet) amulet
about 623–568 B.C.
Findspot: Sudan, Meroe, Beg. S.85
Other: 1.8 cm (11/16 in.)
Medium or Technique
Not On View
A type of amulet known as the tyet consists of an open, knotted loop of cloth from which hangs a long sash flanked by a pair of loops. These amulets were closely associated with the goddes Isis and her protective powers. From the New Kingdom on, Egyptians and later Nubians routinely included them in the mummy wrappings to guard the mummy. The ideal color for these amules, as in this case, was red, symbolizing the blood of the goddess. This is one of many amulets from the mummy of Princess Mernua.
From Beg. S. 85, Princess Mernua [Excav. date] March, 1923, Exp.Ph. A 3164, 6/2. Excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Sudan.
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition