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Upper Part of Sistrum (Rattle)

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
The human face with cow’s ears and horns on the sistrum’s handle represents the goddess Hathor, who personifies heaven and motherhood. The pairs of holes originally held rods with metal disks or squares that produced sound when shaken. Egyptian myths suggest that the sounds of the sistrum could pacify enraged gods and goddesses. As a symbol of Hathor appeased, the sistrum came to be used in rituals and ceremonies for Hathor, Bastet, and other deities.
MEDIUM Faience
DATES 664–525 B.C.E.
DYNASTY Dynasty 26
PERIOD Late Period
DIMENSIONS 4 1/2 x 1 7/16 x 5/8 in. (11.4 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 05.359
CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
CAPTION Upper Part of Sistrum (Rattle), 664–525 B.C.E. Faience, 4 1/2 x 1 7/16 x 5/8 in. (11.4 x 3.6 x 1.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 05.359. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.05.359_temples.jpg)
IMAGE installation, Egypt Reborn: Temples Installation (2010), CUR.05.359_temples.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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