Minneapolis Institute of Art

Thoth

Egypt

Date

c. 664 BCE–30 CE

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Ancient Egyptian

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Ancient Egyptians had a complex society, prospered in the arts, and advanced scientific practices. They also developed sophisticated systems of measuring and writing. The god Thoth, depicted here with the head of an ibis—and shown in a nearby case in the form of a baboon—was revered as the god of knowledge, mathematics, and the sciences. He was also considered the scribe to the gods, recording the outcomes of the weighing of the hearts of the deceased, a ritual performed by the god Anubis in a spiritual realm, that determined whether or not the person was worthy of the afterlife. Africa

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