A Private Collector and an Amulett in the Semmelweis Museum for Medical History

Scheffer, Krisztina and Dr. Győry, Hedvig (2025) A Private Collector and an Amulett in the Semmelweis Museum for Medical History. In: Aegyptus et Pannonia IX. Magyar-Egyiptomi Baráti Társaság, Ókori Egyiptomi Bizottság, Budapest, pp. 175-203. ISBN 9786156571045; 9786156571052

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Abstract

A recent research direction of the HNMPCC Semmelweis Museum for the Medical History (SOM) focuses on investigating the provenance of the objects in its Egyptian collection and the circumstances of their acquisition, as well as, through their study, gaining a deeper understanding of ancient Egyptian conceptions of health. The present paper concentrates on a djed-pillar amulet purchased from Rudolf Bedő, which entered the collection prior to the Museum’s official foundation. We examined the life of the former owner, attempted to clarify the origin of the amulet, and reviewed current scholarly knowledge concerning the djed pillar. In addition, we sought to address the question of what health-related meanings – beyond its funerary associations – the emblem identified with the backbone of Osiris, the god of the dead, might have embodied in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians. The importance of thissymbol is underscored by its prominent placement in the tomb of Tutankhamun, where a nearly half-metre-high example was installed among the shrines.

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