An Ancient Egyptian pale blue glazed faience amulet made in the shape of the 'Ankh', the Key of Life.
Ptolemaic period: Circa 4th-1st century B.C.
Condition: Shape slightly irregular but complete and intact, fully glazed.
Height: 1.8 cms (0.7 ins).
As Carol Andrews suggests (Amulets of Ancient Egypt), perhaps the best known of all amuletic motifs is that called the 'nk (ankh) which, because as a hieroglyphic sign it is used to write the words life, alive, living and to live, embraces all those connotations as an amulet. Individual ankh amulets are surprisingly few. R.H. Blanchard (Handbook of Egyptian Gods and Mummy Amulets) writes that whereas Ankh or Key of Life, the emblem of life, is the most common amulet found in sculptures and paintings, but very rare in actual amulet objects.
