Head of a Female Figurine

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

About the work

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Archaeologists found numerous figurine fragments, dating from the 4th to 7th century CE, in Coptic Christian homes in Kharga Oasis. The homes contained niches on the walls, possibly for idols and offerings like this one.

Copts are an ancient Egyptian ethnoreligious community who were at one time a minority, however they currently exist as the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Originally, pre-Islamic Egyptians who spoke the Coptic language were identified as "qibṭ." After splits in favor of Islam or Christian faiths, the Arabic word was westernized to Copt, denoting Egyptian Christians.

This head which belongs to the body of a female figure has a hole at its top indicating it may have at one time been hung or worn as an amulet.

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