Cowroid on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The cowroid (or cauroid) was an ancient Egyptian seal-amulet that imitated the
When incorporated into a woman's
The cowroid (or cauroid) was an ancient Egyptian seal-amulet that imitated the cowrie shell
Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails in the family Cypraeidae.
Cowrie shells have held cultural, economic, and ornamental significance in various cultures. The cowrie was the shell most widely used wo ...
.
Use
When incorporated into a woman's girdle
A belt without a buckle, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle in various contexts, especially historical ones, where girdles were a very common part of everyday clothing from antiquity until perhaps the 15th century, especially for w ...
, cowroids would've had an apotropaic
Apotropaic magic (From ) or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superstition or out of tr ...
use protecting the wearer from unwanted forces affecting this area of the body, particularly during pregnancy.
History
InPre-dynastic Egypt
Prehistoric Egypt and Predynastic Egypt was the period of time starting at the first human settlement and ending at the First Dynasty of Egypt around 3100 BC.
At the end of prehistory, "Predynastic Egypt" is traditionally defined as the period ...
and Neolithic Southern Levant
The Southern Levant is a geographical region that corresponds approximately to present-day Israel, Palestine, and Jordan; some definitions also include southern Lebanon, southern Syria and the Sinai Peninsula. As a strictly geographical descript ...
, cowrie shells were placed in the graves of young girls. The modified Levantine cowries were discovered ritually arranged around the skull in female burials. During the Bronze Age
The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, cowries became more common as funerary goods, also associated with burials of women and children.
Dynastic Egypt
From the late Old Kingdom onwards, cowrie shells were being imitated in blue-glazed composition and other semi-precious stones, with gold and silver examples known from the Middle Kingdom. As time progressed, they corrupted into a simple back design devoid of a ventral opening and were usually inscribed. Cowroids were commonly used during the Middle Kingdom, the Second Intermediate period, the 18th and 19th Dynasties, and the Saitic period.Gallery
See also
*Scarab (artifact) Scarabs are amulets and impression seals shaped according to the eponymous beetles, which were widely popular throughout ancient Egypt. They survive in large numbers today, and through their inscriptions and typology, these artifacts prove to be ...
References
{{Authority control Egyptian amulets Egyptian artefact types Ancient Egyptian symbols Seals (insignia) Ancient Egyptian women