Wedjat Eye

On a trip to the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum I got to experience seeing a wide variety of objects from Ancient Egypt. However, one object in particular stood out to me: Wedjat Eyes. This particular Wedjat Eye is also known as the Eye of Horus. The museum had several on display—representing its popularity. The one I decided to study was a pale turquoise color that was made from Egyptian faience from Thebes, Egypt which was dated between the 21st-26th Dynasty, ca 1069-525 BCE (Accession number: 3685). This object was very detailed in respect to the eyebrow and lines and was roughly 2-2.5 centimeters across. There seemed to be some browner almost rust like color as well which defined all the lines well. The eye itself was slanted and seems to have three dots inside the pupil. There is a lot of emphasis on the eyebrow and what seems to be cosmetic decoration under the eye as well. This may be to signify a sense of royalty. The eye itself does not appear to be fully human, rather as the name suggests to have a bird-like appearance which is to represent Horus. Egyptian faience was commonly used for small objects and is consistent with the idea that this particular Wedjat Eye was part of an amulet. Egyptian faience was invented around 2500 BCE, and the blue-green
For example, funeral amulets were frequently made in this shape with the purpose being to protect and guide the pharaoh in the afterlife (Wilson, 54). This suggests that this object may have been part of an amulet for this very purpose. Another theory is that the amulet was used as a protective healing charm instead of an aid to the afterlife, as it was custom for ancient Egyptians to wear items with the eye for safety and health. The turquoise green color is a motif that is highly conserved in ancient Egyptian culture and is strongly associated with fertility, revival and rebirth which is perhaps why the amulet was created in this color