Art Institute of Chicago

Amulet of a Frog

Egyptian

Date

New Kingdom–Third Intermediate Period (about 1550–664 BCE)

Medium

Stone (mottled brown white)

Culture

Egypt

Department

Arts of Africa

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

With its brown-and-white spotting and alert eyes, this small frog appears astonishingly lifelike. Though Ancient Egyptians had several terms for small objects like this, we call them “amulets” today. Such charms were believed to bring those who wore them protection, health, and good luck. Worn by both the living and the dead, amulets helped ensure the wearer’s well-being in life and the afterlife. The Egyptians likely linked frogs to fertility because of the animal’s prolific reproduction, and women may have worn amulets like this one to assist in pregnancy and delivery. Heqet, a goddess of childbirth, was one of the deities who appeared as a frog or a frog-headed woman. Frog-shaped amulets could also aid in rebirth to the afterlife.

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