Meretseger
ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E., or later
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Object Label
This goddess, whose name means “she who loves silence,” combines the body of a cobra with the head of a woman. An animal with a human head is a common Egyptian artistic convention. As a local deity, Meretseger guarded the Valley of the Kings, where monarchs were entombed, and the village of craftsmen who worked there. Though a dangerous animal, her purpose was to protect the workers in the valley, and also sometimes to punish wrongdoers.
Caption
Meretseger, ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E., or later. Sandstone, pigment, 14 x 4 5/8 x 8 7/8 in. (35.6 x 11.7 x 22.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1749E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum (Gavin Ashworth, photographer))
Gallery
Not on view
Gallery
Not on view
Title
Meretseger
Date
ca. 1479–1400 B.C.E., or later
Dynasty
Dynasty 18, or later
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Reportedly from: Saqqara, Egypt
Medium
Sandstone, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
14 x 4 5/8 x 8 7/8 in. (35.6 x 11.7 x 22.5 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
37.1749E
Frequent Art Questions
How was Meretseger worshiped? Would they provide her with votive sacrifices of snakes?
Meretseger was a local deity in Western Thebes where she was associated with a particular mountain peak, she was certainly the focus of a lot of prayer. The most common dedications to her are inscribed stelae or images of her, like this one.Inscribed stelae typically included personal messages from the donor to the goddess. This was a new type of interaction with a deity in Egyptian belief beginning the New Kingdom period.Establishing a personal relationship with the gods was influenced by the religious practices of Near Eastern cultures. There was increased contact between Egypt and the Near East at this time as both of their empires were expanding closer and closer together.
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