In the ancient Egyptian world, amulets for good luck and protection were buried with the dead to ensure safe passage to the afterlife. These funerary amulets represent the four protective sons of Horus (the sun god): Hapy the baboon, the hawk Qebsenuet, the human Emsety, and the jackal Duamutef.

In the ancient Egyptian world, amulets for good luck and protection were buried with the dead to ensure safe passage to the afterlife. These funerary amulets represent the four protective sons of Horus (the sun god): Hapy the baboon, the hawk Qebsenuet, the human Emsety, and the jackal Duamutef.

The following essay is from the 1996 publication Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.

Though there is evidence of settlers along the Nile River dating from almost 120,000 years ago, the history of ancient Egypt is generally divided into three major periods of stability: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. These were separated by intermediate periods of political instability and followed by the Late Period.

The following essay is from the 1996 publication Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.