Cosmetic spoons in ancient Egypt were used for storing or mixing perfumes and mineral for make-up. They ranged from simple, to intricately decorated, and often featured beautifully carved handles. Motifs on the spoons ranged from zoomorphic depictions, to human figures, deities, flora and religious iconography.
Fish were considered sacred animals to a number of goddesses within the Egyptian pantheon. The most popular was the goddess Hatmehit, who was often represented as a fish or as a woman wearing a fish headdress. She was associated mostly with a city known as Ddejet. Hatmehit name had a double meaning and broken down could be translated as ‘foremost fish’ or ‘foremost Inundation’ and thus was associated with the flooding of the nile. From the Third Intermediate Period, Hatmehit was fused with a number of other goddesses, including Isis and Hathor. Her insignia, which was once a fish headdress or standard, was gradually replaced with those of Isis and Hathor; a stepped headdress or cows horns respectively.
