Lion's head pendant: An ancient Egyptian board game piece that was later repurposed into a magical religious object with baboons

A lion's head carved out of amethyst has been set into a golden base decorated with baboons. (Image credit: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1987.1, Cleveland Museum of Art (Public Domain))

QUICK FACTS

Name: Lion's head pendant

What it is: An amethyst-and-gold pendant

Where it is from: Sudan

When it was made: Circa 1069 to 715 B.C.

In 1987, the Cleveland Museum of Art acquired an unusual pendant depicting a lion's head carved out of amethyst on a gold base decorated with baboons. But one part was much older than the other and was originally carved as a game piece.