Stone, 15.68 grams, 53.15 mm. Middle Kingdom, Eleventh Dynasty, Circa 2134 -1991 BC. An extremely large amulet of the falcon headed Egyptian god of the sky Horus. It shows him standing, facing forward on a circular base, arms crossed into his chest. His head, with incised lines to show feathers with piercing eyes and curved beak, lost in antiquity. Made with a hole through its centre for suspension. Very fine condition.

Horus, represented by the falcon, was the son of gods Isis and Osiris. The Kings of Egypt associated themselves with Horus and the hieroglyph, which represented the idea of God, was a falcon on its perch. A sun god, Horus was superior both physically and socially, representing the King and linking the sun and the moon, the two primary celestial beings. Horus was worshipped throughout Egypt, and so many cults proliferated that many myths sprang up associated with Horus. Throughout ancient Egyptian history, this god was personally identified with the king, as each succeeding pharaoh used the name of Horus as the first of his titles.