Head of a Goddess

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This goddess, whose features are remarkably reminiscent of images of Amenhotep I, second king of Dynasty 18, is probably Seshat, a deity in charge of writing and record keeping. In temples, the goddess is frequently depicted documenting a king's official names or recording the amount of booty he has brought home from a military campaign. Most importantly, she invariably joins the king in the ceremony of "stretching the cord," a ritual performed at the foundation of temples and other important buildings. This latter occupation made Seshat a protector of builders and architects. We do not know in which of these functions the goddess was depicted in this relief.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art