Wooden Cramp of King Sety I

A butterfly-shaped wooden cramp of the type used to hold two building blocks together. On one side is carved an inscription in hieroglyphs that reads: "good god Menmaatra", the throne name (prenomen) of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Sety I. Objects with the name of the king on them were also thought to add strength and protection. It is possibly from a wall or a foundation deposit of a temple built for King Sety I. The width of the cramp at the centre is 77 mm. CONDITION NOTE (1998): Worn, surface dirt, worn, bored into, some splitting. Wellcome Historical Medical Museum accession no.14059; Purchased at Stevens's Auction and Sales Rooms, London, on 29 September 1908, Lot 315.