Birth Tusks

Birth Tusks: the Armoury of Health in Context —Egypt 1800 BC

Birth tusks are distinctive objects of Middle Kingdom sacred art, formed by removing the rough outer layer of a hippopotamus tusk, and cutting back one half to produce a smooth shining tusk in profile. Over seventy examples are documented from excavations since 1860 in Egypt, Nubia and the Levant. A hundred more are known to have been purchased up to 1973, including modern imitations already in 1888. Most bear a procession of divine figures, and inscriptions on a few invoke their protection for women and children, hence designated "birth tusks". The objects are explored in this volume in five sections: birth tusks in the collection of the Petrie Museum London; birth tusks from documented excavations; birth tusks from pre-1973 acquisitions; the iconographic repertoire of birth tusks in late Middle Kingdom context and the representation of birth tusks before and after the Middle Kingdom. Closing reflections on wider research horizons address the problems posed by the narrow chronological and social distribution of this distinct object type.