Egyptian Bead with Queen Hatshepsut Royal Cartouche

£ 975.00

An extremely fine Ancient Egyptian double-faced bead, modelled in glossy blue faience. The front features the high-relief royal cartouche of Queen Makare Hatshepsut, which reads Maat ka Ra, translating to “the true one of the ka of Ra”. Hatshepsut was not only an extremely successful pharaoh but also one of the first great women recorded in ancient history. The amulet’s reverse appears engraved with the same hieroglyphs, the sun disc, the goddess Ma’at holding an ankh and the pair of raised hands. The bead has been pierced longitudinally for suspension.

Date: Circa 1479-1458 BC
Period: Eighteenth Dynasty
Condition: Extremely fine, complete and intact.

SOLD

The Ancient Egyptians wore amulets alongside other pieces of jewellery. Amulets were decorative, but also served a practical purpose, being considered to bestow power and protection upon the wearer. Many amulets have been found inside the wrappings of mummies, as they were used to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, and the second female pharaoh in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut became the regent of the Egyptian throne after the death of Thutmose II, since his son Thutmose III was too young to rule. Towards the end of the reign of Thutmose III, circa 20 years after her death, the name of Hatshepsut was erased from the more visible and accessible official monuments, in a practice similar to the one known in antiquity as Damnatio Memoriae.

Weight 1.8 g
Dimensions L 1.7 cm
Culture

Faience

Region

Egyptian Mythology

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