In the Old Kingdom baboons, due to their intelligence, were closely associated with Thoth, one of the most important Egyptian deities, god of thought, intelligence, and writing. As a sacred animal to Thoth, baboons were often depicted supervising scribes during their work. Baboons also had various funerary roles. They were custodians of the first door to the underworld. Across the Ancient world, there are a number of pieces that would have been worn by their owners for the sake of protection, primarily amulets. Jewellery of this apotropaic nature most often takes shape in the form of pendants, and we find them in abundance from a number of civilisations, especially Egypt. These amulets covered a broad range of subjects in their iconography.
To discover more about amulets in the Ancient Egyptian world, please visit our relevant post: Amulets in Ancient Egypt.
