The ibis, a wading bird native to Africa, appears repeatedly in Egyptian art. Symbol of Thoth - god of scribes - this animal is associated with certain disciplines: writing, medicine, mathematics and astronomy. Living on the banks of the Nile, it is an element of the Egyptian landscape. Carved in the 4th century B.C., this precious reliquary dates from the Saite period. It was probably discovered at Tonna el Gebel, an archaeological site in central Egypt, an ancient necropolis dedicated to the deity Thoth.