Attractive “Two Fingers” Amulet
Associated with the Embalming Process

393, Lot: 747. Estimate $400. Sold for $360. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Dark brown steatite amulet of two fingers. Egypt, Late Period, 664-332 BC. Amulet of two fingers engraved of both sides. Suspension loop. Height: 4.3cm. Intact and a fine example of type. Cf. Petrie, Amulets pl. XLIII, 273d-e; cf. Andrews 73e.

From the Carl Devries Collection, with collector tag marked “12/18/69, amulet, Sayyid, 30” (30 in Arabic).

Such “two fingers” amulets have been found in mummy wrappings and were likely intended to protect the incisions that were made in the deceased as part of the embalming process (perhaps serving to ritually hold the incisions closed). As Andrews suggests, they may represent the embalmer’s own fingers; alternatively, the may be those of Anubis, the god of embalming. Such amulets were typically made from dark stones or darkened steatite, as darker colors were associated with the afterlife.