Crocodile Heads
Location
Era
Late Period (722-332 B.C.E.), 26th Dynasty (664-525 B.C.E.)
Title
Crocodile Heads
Materials
Ivory
Dimensions
12.9 cm (w.)
Credits
Purchase, gift of F. Cleveland Morgan, inv. 1945.B.3
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures
Its meat eaten by the ancient Egyptians, the crocodile, incarnation of the god Sobek, was feared for its powerful, uncontrollable attacks. Venerated for its strength, the animal was treated as a living deity by the priests of Sobek, who would have it mummified upon death and even give it an official funeral worthy of a king.
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