ANCIENT EGYPT. LATE DYNASTY FAIENCE AMULET OF THOTH. 600-300 B.C

ANCIENT EGYPT. LATE DYNASTY FAIENCE AMULET OF THOTH. 600-300 B.C

A turquoise-glazed faience amulet depicting Taweret, the hippopotamus goddess of childbirth and protector of women and children. She is shown in her traditional stance: upright, squatted legs, and round belly. Her composite form combines: The body and jaws of a pregnant hippopotamus, symbolizing maternal strength; The limbs of a lion, symbolizing ferocity and power;  A crocodile's tail down her back, referencing the dangerous Nile creatures she conquered and repelled. .  Taweret, meaning "The Great One" was revered in both household and funerary contexts. Her fierce, monstrous form was not meant to frighten the wearer, but to ward off evil. Particularly so during pregnancy and childbirth, two of the most vulnerable times in a woman's life in Ancient Egypt. Amulets such as this one were worn by expectant or nursing mothers, sewn into the clothing or bedding of infants and children, or carried by midwives during deliveries, or sometimes placed near beds or doorways for ongoing protection.