Amulet in the Form of a Ba as Human-Headed Bird
Description
Object Label: Ba is the Egyptian concept closest to what is meant by the English word "soul." Its composite human-and-bird form symbolizes its ability to travel to different realms. This extremely fine amulet may date to the Ptolemaic Period, but various types of gold amulets inlaid with colored stones are known from burials of Dynasties XXVI through XXX (orca 664–342 B.C.) Caption: Amulet in the Form of a Ba as Human-Headed Bird, 305–30 B.C.E.. Gold, lapis lazuli, turquoise, steatite, 1 1/4 × 2 3/4 × 1/2 in. (3.2 × 7 × 1.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.804E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Gold-toned amulet depicting a human-headed bird (ba-like) with outstretched wings, inlaid with blue and turquoise colors.
The image shows a small, winged figure with a human head at the top and a bird-like body beneath. The wings are spread horizontally and are decorated with layered, feather-like patterning. The wings and chest have visible inlays in blue (lapis lazuli-like) and turquoise/teal (turquoise-like) tones, with dark blue outlines and dot/cell-like detailing on the wing surfaces. A turquoise/teal tail of three feather-like elements hangs downward from the body. The background is plain and the object appears mounted or supported for display; a small metallic attachment/loop is visible above the head area, consistent with an amulet suspension.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.804E tier-2
- BKM-Object 4101 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.