Amuletic aegis of Bastet or Sakhmet
Third Intermediate Period
This small piece represents a so called aegis, which is a protective element that combines a broad collar with the head of a deity. The broad collar was a common jewelry item that consisted of several rows of beads and was worn on the chest. Here the head of a feline goddess is featured; this is possibly Sakhmet. She wears a large sun disk and a uraeus cobra on her head. Underneath her lion ruff one can see part of a human tripartite wig, a common element for animal headed deities.
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