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The design
for this kit is based on a pectoral (chest ornament)
found on the body of the Pharoah Tutankhamen in which
the 'Eye of Re' is made from glass-paste and gold cloisonné.
Although Tutankhamen is believed to have died in 1343BC
during the eighteenth dynasty, this object may well
have been made and worn prior to his death. The original
pectoral is housed in Cairo Museum, Egypt.
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The sacred
eye (Wedjet) primarily symbolised protection in Egyptian
art. From early times the moon and sun were believed
to be the eyes of the falcon god Horus, but gradually
the right eye (the 'Eye of Re') became associated with
the sun, whilst the left eye (the 'Eye of Horus') represented
the moon. Egyptian mythology tells of how the Eye of
Horus was damaged and then healed, the term Wedjet possibly
meaning 'the restored' or 'the whole one'. Horus presented
the restored eye to his father, and it is from this
act that the eye came to symbolise an offering, a particularly
common representation in the art of the later New Kingdom
(1307-1070BC).
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