Sa-sign


Accession Number
EC403
Current Location
House of Life (first floor), Maths and writing case, Writing
Object Type
Architecture, Architectural decoration, Inlay
Material
Pottery
Provenance
Nubia, Meroe
Measurements
Height: 204mm | Width: 77mm | Thickness: 31mm
Number of Elements
1

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Description

A sa sign. It is made of pottery with a greenish glaze. It was purchased by Wellcome in 1930. The sa sign is a hieroglyphic symbol meaning protection, which may originally have represented the rolled-up reed mat which would have sheltered herdsmen; or it may have been a papyrus 'life vest' for boatmen. It was used either as a sign in its own right or as a symbol held by deities such as Bes and Taweret. A similar sa-sign was found by Garstang.

Bibliography

Török, L. 1997. ""Meroe City. An Ancient African Capital. John Garstang's Excavations in the Sudan"" Vol. 2 fig. 114.

Wellcome Number
95203
Auction
J. C. Stevens. Auction and Sale Rooms: 19–20 Aug 1930, Lot 375
Auction Details
Ancient Egyptian buckle symbol, Meröe; and a large prehistoric bronze fibula, Orvieto.
Previous Owner
Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853–1936)
Acquisition
Long-term loan, The Wellcome Trust (15 Feb 1971)
Last modified: 02 Dec 2021
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