Funerary Tongue Amulet: Cicada
Location
Era
Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.)
Title
Funerary Tongue Amulet: Cicada
Date
2nd-1st c. B.C.E.
Materials
Jade
Dimensions
1 x 3.2 x 5.7 cm
Credits
Gift of Mrs. W. Hugh Owen, inv. 1966.Ed.53
Collection
Archeology and World Cultures
Jade has always been highly valued in China for its protective qualities, both in this life and in the hereafter. The Chinese believed that jade had the special power to preserve the body from natural decay after death. In the Han dynasty, the corpse’s nine orifices were plugged with jade. The cicada was placed on the tongue, plaques covered the eyes and plugs filled the nose and ears.
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