brand > pr nefrt Egypt
raw. stone
size. 4.5 inches
12cm

“The two fingers amulet, which represents the index and middle fingers, usually with nails and joints clearly defined, is always made of a dark stone such as basalt, obsidian or steatite, or else of black glass, and occurs only in Late Period burials. Its frequent location on the torso near the embalming incision has led to the suggestion that it represents the two fingers of the embalmer. It would thus have been indented to reconfirm the embalming process or perhaps give added protection to the most vulnerable part of the mummy” (Andrews

“Obsidian is a translucent, shiny black, naturally formed volcanic glass which was used sporadically for scarabs and especially during the Late Period for specific amulets, notably the Two Fingers. It does not occur in Egypt, its probable source being Ethiopia” (Andrews
Petrie documents such amulets as follows:
“Meaning: “Finger of heavy stone, at the girdle”.
Period: XXVIth Dynasty.
Varieties: Two fingers of right or left hand.
Position: Usually left side of pelvis, sometimes base of stomach, or middle of stomach, never higher.”

Amulet
Amulets are objects generally kept on the person that are believed to confer some benefit to the wearer. While turn of the century archeologist Flinders Petrie (1914) enraged that “the belief in the magic effect of inanimate objects on the course of events is one of the lower stages of the human mind in seeking for principles of natural action. . .”, he had to concede that the use of amulets, talismans, and charms is very ingrained in many cultures to the present day. Many of us use lucky pens and wear religious medals without believing literally in their powers to affect our lives. But we still use them. They help us muster the confidence we need in times of self doubt. They empower us to dare, to believe in ourselves, to heal ourselves. Egyptians may have felt the same way. They used amulets on themselves and on their dead. Egyptians also seem to have had a passion for jewelry, and amulets were a good excuse to wear more jewelry.

Egyptians created an astonishing variety of amulets. The Dendera Amulets List, engraved on the thickness of a temple doorway, shows 104 different amulets for funerary use. The MacGregor Papyrus shows and names each one Petrie described some 270 kinds of amulets in his 1914 monograph on the subject, and yet it was published before the excavation of many sites rich in amulets! He devised a classification system which, for all its flaws, is useful and still stands as no worse than any devised since to put order in that which defies classification: “The various ascertained meanings may be completely put in order under five great classes… (I) the amulets of Similars which are for influencing similar parts, or functions, or occurrences, for the wearer; (II) the amulets of Powers, for conferring powers and capacities, especially upon the dead; (III) the amulets of Property, which are entirely derived from the funeral offerings, and are thus peculiar to Egypt; (IV) the amulets for Protection, such as charms and curative amulets; (V) the figures of Gods, connected with the worship of the gods and their functions… Our classes then are here called amulets of
This amulet depicts two stylized human fingers that are about life-size. Two-finger amulets were used exclusively for the dead and were often found on the lower left of the torso. This is the area of the incision that was made during the mummification process in order to remove the internal organs. These amulets were meant magically to heal the wound. The first examples of this amulet type date to Dynasty 26. Their preferred material was obsidian or other dark stones. Sometimes the amulets were gilded, and faint traces of gilding are present on this example