Djed pillar, Late Period (ca. 688–332 b.c.)
Egyptian
Faience
Technical Glossary
Egyptian
Faience
Gift of Lucy W. Drexel, 1889 (89.2.539)
This emblem of Osiris, god of the underworld, was a potent symbol of regeneration and therefore made to accompany the mummy on its journey. What the form represents is unknown: a leafless tree or a pole with notches or attachments. Eventually it came to represent the backbone of Osiris and in the New Kingdom decorated the bases of coffins.
Related
Index Terms
Art Movement/Style
- Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt in the Late Period
- Twenty–fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the Late Period
- Twenty–seventh Dynasty of Egypt in the Late Period
- Twenty–sixth Dynasty of Egypt in the Late Period
