Necklace Consisting of Taweret Amulets

The necklace consists of 36 figures depicting the goddess Taweret (Thoeris) as a hippopotamus. The figurines were fashioned of thin gold plate with a die and soldered to the plain back plate. The goddess is represented in a traditional manner: she has the head and body of a hippopotamus, arms of a woman and legs of a lion. Amulets made of different materials testifying to the cult of Taweret are known from almost all the periods of Egyptian history. Her role as a protector dominated the depictions, however, she was also closely linked with fertility. In her protective nature, Taweret defends expectant mothers as well as women giving birth. In scenes from Late Period birth houses (mammisis), the goddess appears among the guardians of the newborn child god. The owner of the necklace once hoped to be protected in her life and in the afterlife by the amulets of the goddess Taweret.