Jewelry Box (?) with Lid Wood, 3 5/8 x 3 3/16 x 3 1/4 in. (9.2 x 8.1 x 8.3 cm) New Kingdom, XVIII Dynasty, 1539-1425 B.C.E. Brooklyn #61.19, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund "Incised on front face naturalistic bunch of lotus flowers and on each side a lotus plant with two monkeys forming a playful caricature of the formal motif of the joining of the two lands." (From Catalogue description) Earrings, Pair of Corrugated Hoops Gold, New Kingdom, XVIII Dynasty, ca. 1539-1292 B.C.E. 72.123a: 1 5/8 x 1/2 x 1 7/16 in. (4.1 x 1.3 x 3.7 cm) 72.123b: 1 5/8 x 9/16 x 1 5/8 in. (4.1 x 1.4 x 4.1 cm) Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund Photo © Joan Lansberry, May 2008

(From info card:) "With the exception of wealthy nobles, most Egyptians had only a few valuable possessions that they hoped to take with them to the afterlife or leave to their children. They kept these treasured belongings well organized and secure by storing them in small boxes, often tied with a string. Boxes such as this example might have held a variety of objects, such as cosmetics, jewelry, or a child's lock of hair." There are two baboons decorating its outside, which may have had more than mere decorative properties. Baboons show up in other forms, such as these two tiny gaming pieces:

Two Gaming Pieces in Form of Ape Ivory, Middle Kingdom, XII Dynasty-early XIII Dynasty, ca. 1938-1700 B.C.E. Brooklyn #36.121 - 1 3/4 x 2 7/8 in. (4.4 x 7.4 cm) Brooklyn #36.123 - 1 1/4 x 2 11/16 in. (3.1 x 6.9 cm) Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund Photo © Joan Lansberry, May 2008

(From info card:) "Many small ivory and faience baboons have been found in Middle Kingdom tombs. Some scholars believe they functioned as gaming pieces. Others argue that because images of baboons often appear on other protective objects—such as the "magic knife" nearby—the figures served as eternal guardians of the deceased." Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the 'magic knife'.