The ancient Egyptians regarded the heart as the source of human intellect, memory, conscience, and passions. Believed to embody one's true character, the heart was weighed on the balance of the Court of the Underworld to ascertain if the owner was worthy of being reborn in the afterlife. Heart amulets were part of the amulet set of the deceased beginning in the New Kingdom. The meaning of such heart amulets may be that of a substitute for the real heart. Several spells from "The Book of the Dead" deal with the danger that could arise if the heart was taken away from a person, or damaged; it was thought that such a separation could destroy his/her existence in the afterlife.
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<span lang="en">Anonymous</span> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Egypt" class="extiw" title="w:en:Egypt"><span title="sovereign state in North Africa and Asia">Egypt</span></a>)<span style="display:none">Unknown author</span></div>
between 712 and 304 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Ante_Christum_Natum" class="extiw" title="w:en:Ante Christum Natum">BC</a> (Late Period)
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Walters_Art_Museum" class="extiw" title="w:en:Walters Art Museum"><span title="art museum in Baltimore, Maryland, United States">Walters Art Museum</span></a>: <a href="https://thewalters.org/" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Nuvola filesystems folder home.svg" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg/20px-Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="20" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg/30px-Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg/40px-Nuvola_filesystems_folder_home.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128"></a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://thewalters.org/">Home page</a> <a href="https://art.thewalters.org/detail/7479" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Information icon.svg" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Information_icon.svg/20px-Information_icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="20" height="20" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Information_icon.svg/30px-Information_icon.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/Information_icon.svg/40px-Information_icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="620" data-file-height="620"></a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://art.thewalters.org/detail/7479">Info about artwork</a>