03/28/2024
Detail of a shrine-shaped pectoral meticulously crafted from gold and inlaid with silver, semi-precious gemstones, and polychromatic glass paste. It was retrieved from the tomb of Tutankhamun, the 18th Dynasty pharaoh who reigned circa 1336-1327 BCE.
The iconography seemingly portrays Wadjet, the patron goddess and protector of Lower Egypt, symbolized as a rearing cobra with wings outstretched around a shen ring, an emblem of eternal protection. However, the hieroglyphs inscribed intriguingly identify as Nephthys, one of the major deities held to be protectors of the dead. The goddess is depicted donning the crown of Lower Egypt.
This raises fascinating questions about syncretism and the fluidity of divine identities in ancient Egyptian religious beliefs.
This pectoral (JE 61946) is now in the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo, Egypt.
