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Hathor-headed pectoral
Nubian
Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy (Piye)
743–712 B.C.
Findspot: Nubia (Sudan), el-Kurru, Ku 51 (tomb of Tabiry)
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Height x width: 9.9 x 6.1 cm (3 7/8 x 2 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number24.659
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Pectorals
DescriptionAmulets of the head of the fertility goddess Hathor were popular items in both Egyptian and Nubian burials. This elaborate openwork amulet of blue glazed faience takes the form of a plaque. On the front, the goddess appears frontally, with her characteristic cow's ears and horns. Her headdress incorporates a shrine, similar to those seen on Hathor-headed sistra. She is flanked by a pair of uraeii, one in the red crown of Lower Egypt and the other in the white crown of Upper Egypt. Beneath each cobra is the sacred eye of Horus (wedjat). The groups sits atop the hieroglyphic sign for gold. There is a ring at the top for stringing.
ProvenanceFrom el-Kurru, Ku 53 (tomb of Queen Tabiry). 1919:excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.
(Accession date: January 1, 1924)
(Accession date: January 1, 1924)