An ancient Egyptian anchor discovered near Haifa is now on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem as part of a new exhibit called, “Emoglyphs: Picture-Writing from Hieroglyphs to the Emoji.” It was happened upon last year by an Israeli veterinarian who was swimming off the shores of Atlit near an area where other artifacts have been found. The anchor is trapezoidal in shape with rounded corners and a hole at the top, typical of the style of Bronze Age anchors. It features Egyptian images, including hieroglyphs and a portrait of Seshat, the goddess of writing. Based on the style of the hieroglyphics, it was originally inscribed in the 15th century BC, during the 18th Dynasty as part of an Egyptian shrine. Sometime before the 12th century BC, it was cut away from the shrine and repurposed as an anchor, before being lost off the coast of Israel, likely in a shipwreck. The anchor, on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority, is now on public display for the first time.
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