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Recognising Egyptian antiquities

Faience amulets, bronzes, and the hardest provenance questions in the hobby.

Beyond scarabs and ushabtis, Egyptian material in circulation includes faience amulets (Eye of Horus, Bes, djed pillars), bronze votives (seated cats, Osiris figures), stone vessels, beads in carnelian and faience, and linen-wrapped oddments from old collections.

Genuine faience is glazed through a quartz body — chipped spots show a sugary core, not painted plaster. Bronzes show ancient casting methods, mineralised patina, and wear in the right places. The imitation industry is two centuries old and enormous; unprovenanced 'Egyptian' pieces are guilty until proven innocent.

Legal ownership turns on export history — Egypt's antiquities laws are strict and old collections need documentation. Record every scrap of provenance (labels, auction stickers, family history), photograph inscriptions, and consult specialists. An honest 'probably 19th-century souvenir' is a respectable identification too.

From the guide library inside Collectors Catalogues, a free app for cataloguing antiques and finds with honest, museum-grade records.

More on cultures

Recognising Bronze Age metalwork — Flat axes to socketed axes, palstaves, and founder's hoards.

Recognising Iron Age and Celtic metalwork — La Tène curves, horse gear, and enamelled bronze.

Recognising Roman military fittings — Belt plates, armour hinges, and the hardware of the legions.

Recognising Anglo-Saxon metalwork — Interlace, garnet cloisonné, and the brooch traditions of early England.

Recognising Viking and Norse finds — Ring-money, trefoil brooches, and the gripping beasts of the north.

Recognising Near Eastern antiquities — Cylinder seals, Luristan bronzes, and clay figures of great age.

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