 any notion of.13 What can be grouped together however, are the types of ideas and feelings particular gestures conveyed between the ancient Egyptian people.
Gestures Communicating Divine Intervention and Protection
One of the more light-hearted pieces of the Eton Myers collection at the University of Birmingham is ECM117, a faience amulet depicting the head of Bes, showing the dwarf sticking out his tongue, a gesture unusual for most deities to adopt (fig. 2). Bes was a deity known for being ‘playfully aggressive’14 and he did indeed have a more menacing side. From the Third Intermediate Period (the approximate date for ECM117) onwards amulets, such as British Museum 61314, show Bes with his tongue poking out and also with sharp teeth bared in a menacing grimace.15 His dwarfish nature is combined with these gestures to create a more threatening persona to ward away any evils from the wearer.16
Two other amulets from the collection also show actions of particular interest. ECM767 and ECM2124 depict the serpent deity, Nehebkau. Although ECM767 shows Nehebkau with a human body and ECM2124 depicts him entirely as a serpent, the gestures on each amulet are exactly the same (fig. 3). In each case Nehebkau reaches his hands towards his mouth, a gesture also seen on similar amulets, such as 24761 from the British Museum. Although Nehebkau’s mythology is not as well known today as his divine counterparts’, the ancient Egyptians would certainly have been aware of his divine powers.17 It could be that Nehebkau’s gesture shows him raising some kind of fruit to his mouth, a detail which is slightly clearer from a similar amulet, 208 in the Jacques-Édouard Berger Collection.18 This interpretation is certainly possible due to Nehebkau’s links with prosperity and the fact that in some mythological traditions his mother is said to be Renenutet, the goddess of the harvest,19 with whom images of Nehebkau are sometimes confused.20 In this sense, Nehebkau’s gesture could have communicated his mythological background whilst the amulet itself conveyed the fruitful and strengthening aspect of this deity.21
One item that more distinctly shows the bringing of fruit to the mouth is ECM758, another faience amulet this time in the form of a monkey (fig. 4 © IAA University of Birmingham). Shown sitting on the ground with two hands towards his face, the amulet has a small loop on the back of the monkey’s head for attachment. A similar amulet, 71029 in the British Museum, depicts the same gesture although in this case the monkey is shown standing and also has its young between its legs. It seems likely that the action of raising fruit to the mouth communicated powers of fecundity22 and would have acted as a fertility aid for the wearer of the amulet, thus providing divine intervention.23
ECM2067 is a small faience amulet depicting the god Shu, shown kneeling to the ground with both arms raised either side of a solar disk which sits on top of his head (fig. 5). Similar amulets to ECM2067, such as ECM1538, also show the god in the same stance, for example 60439 in the British Museum and 636 and 339 in the Jacques-Édouard Berger Collection.24 As the mythological god of air, it was Shu’s job to separate his two children, Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky.25 Therefore, the gesture of raising his arms, which is markedly different from the way in which Isis as a mourner adopts a similar action,26 could communicate Shu’s mythological origins and in doing so the divine power of Shu is conveyed. As a result Egyptians would wear amulets like this knowing that the powerful god who was mythologically holding up the heavens, was protecting them. Therefore it is unlikely that Shu’s gesture is directly related to protection itself, however another object from the collection clearly displays an action that would have communicated this to the ancient Egyptians.
ECM1478 is an amuletic pectoral made of faience, separated into three pieces which, when placed side-by-side, show a goddess kneeling to the ground with her wings outstretched (fig. 6). The amul