In hieroglyphs, the imiut is known as jmy-wt. The earliest usage of such a fetish dates back to the
Predynastic period, where a process involving a bird's entrails being tied to the imiut is mentioned on a preserved lug handle. The fetish later appears in the seals of the kings of the
First Dynasty, most notably Den, where the fetish is associated with the ritual executions of prisoners. Usage of the fetish continued into the
Middle Kingdom, with an example from the reign of
Amenemhat II discovered during excavations in
Memphis. During the
Eighteenth Dynasty, such fetishes were very commonly used in funerary practices, with two found in the tomb of
Tutankhamun. The original use of the imiut was to represent the skin of Apis, which was associated with rebirth and regeneration. During the
Ptolemaic period, the imiut became associated with
Osiris, as evidenced from illustrations on
papyrus scrolls from that period. == Description ==