Dagger handle (with 22.3.75b)
Second Intermediate Period–Early New Kingdom
Inscribed for Hatshepsut's father, Thutmose I, these two wooden grips were fixed to either side of the handle of a dagger. The end of each grip is decorated with a falcon, its wings bent to fit the curve of the pommel, and shen hieroglyphs, signifying eternity. Since the falcon represents Horus, a god personified by the king on earth, he may be seen as holding eternity and perhaps also extending it to the king named below.
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