Clapper

Pottery wand or clapper used in magic in the shape of an arm with a hand at one end and a hole pierced at the other. There is a wavy design on one side of the arm. Same style as the model arms of the same period made of ivory which were probably used as clappers. Found in tomb E135 broken in two and is now mended together. Clappers or hand wands such as this one were used by dancers who clapped them together. They also had protective significance as the noise produced by clacking the wands together was believed to keep evil spirits away during critical moments such as childbirth or puberty rituals. Their protective power also accompanied the ritual renewal of the king’s vigour during the Heb Sed Festival and assisted in the rebirth of a deceased person into the afterlife. The object was described as the "arm of a clay doll" in the 1905 Annual Report. CONDITION NOTE (1998): Previously repaired, dark stain on underside, pitted surface, surface dirt.