Vulture crown

Vulture crown is a crown that the great royal wives and important priestesses in ancient Egypt wore. It was connected with the vulture goddess Nekhbet. It looked like a vulture with wings hanging down on the sides.^[1]The crown was a symbol of protection. Sometimes the hat had another snake called the Uraeus on it too. This snake represented a goddess called Wadjet. ^[2]

History

In the beginning, the vulture crown was only shown in pictures of goddesses.^[3] But in the Fifth Dynasty, queens began to wear this crown all the time in their pictures.^[4]

The reason why queens wore the vulture crown was because the vulture is a symbol of motherhood. In ancient Egyptian, the word for "mother" is written with a picture of a vulture called mwt.^[5]

As Nekhbet was a goddess who protected people, the vulture crown was connected with her. This made sense because the king was seen as a Horus, and the queen's role was seen as a protector.^[6]

One of the first queens to wear the vulture crown was Khentkaus Ii.^[7] In the New Kingdom, the vulture on the top of the crown was sometimes changed by a snake called uraeus.^[8]

References

↑ Graves-Brown, Carolyn, Dancing for Hathor: Women in Ancient Egypt, Contiuum 2010, p. 131
↑ Capel, Anne K.; Markoe, Glenn, Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt, Hudson Hills Press with Cincinnati Art Museum 1996, p. 139
↑ Vassilika, Eleni, Ptolemaic Philae, Uitgeverij Peeters 1989, p. 93
↑ Redford, Donald B., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt: P-Z, Oxford Univ Pr (Sd) 2001, p. 106
↑ Lesko, Barbara S., The Great Goddesses of Egypt, OUP 1999, p. 66
↑ Benard, Elisabeth; Moon, Beverly, Goddesses Who Rule, Oxford University Press 2000, p. 216
↑ Budin, Stephanie Lynn, Images of Woman and Child from the Bronze Age: Reconsidering Fertility, Maternity, And Gender In The Ancient World, Cambridge University Press 2014, p. 47
↑ Fischer, Henry George, Egyptian Studies III Varia Nova, Metropolitan Museum of Art 1996, p. 116

[1] Graves-Brown, Carolyn, Dancing for Hathor: Women in Ancient Egypt, Contiuum 2010, p. 131

[2] Capel, Anne K.; Markoe, Glenn, Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven: Women in Ancient Egypt, Hudson Hills Press with Cincinnati Art Museum 1996, p. 139

[3] Vassilika, Eleni, Ptolemaic Philae, Uitgeverij Peeters 1989, p. 93

[4] Redford, Donald B., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt: P-Z, Oxford Univ Pr (Sd) 2001, p. 106

[5] Lesko, Barbara S., The Great Goddesses of Egypt, OUP 1999, p. 66

[6] Benard, Elisabeth; Moon, Beverly, Goddesses Who Rule, Oxford University Press 2000, p. 216

[7] Budin, Stephanie Lynn, Images of Woman and Child from the Bronze Age: Reconsidering Fertility, Maternity, And Gender In The Ancient World, Cambridge University Press 2014, p. 47

[8] Fischer, Henry George, Egyptian Studies III Varia Nova, Metropolitan Museum of Art 1996, p. 116

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]