Ancient Egypt, Ptolemaic - 305-30 BC
Cartonnage Panel with a decorative border of flowers and the Djed Pillar.
The Djed pillar (column) was the Egyptian symbol of “stability”. It was the symbol of the tree that grew around Osiris’s casket. The djed was considered necessary to aid in the transformation of human flesh into the spiritual form assumed by the deceased in eternity.
The djed was often painted on the bottom of coffins where the deceased’s backbone would rest. It was also often created as an amulet of stability and regenerative power. In Old Kingdom times, the djed was associated with the chief god of Memphis, Ptah, who was called the “Noble Djed.”