Goddess Hathor from the Tomb of Seti I (KV17)

Detail of the face of Goddess Hathor, with cobra earring, who, in this full relief, is seen welcoming Seti I to the afterlife with a protective menat necklace.

The relief was taken from Seti I’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings, by Champollion. However, this may not have been an act of “treasure hunting”, but perhaps an act of conservation, as the tomb had been flooded after Belzoni’s opening a year previous and much damage had taken place.

Detail of the goddess Hathor from the Tomb of Seti I (KV17) — Detail of the face of Goddess Hathor, with cobra earring

A menat necklace was created out of a substantial keyhole-shaped counterpoise and an assortment of beaded strands.

Despite its title of necklace, the menat necklace is seldom depicted being worn, but was most commonly carried by females engaging in sacred ceremonies and rituals.

The necklace served as a percussion instrument, shaken to produce a calming sound that was considered to placate and please a god or goddess.

Menat necklace from Malqata
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390–1352 B.C.
Met Museum. 11.215.450

“The appeasement of Hathor by means of wine, music and dance furthermore symbolised the victory of civilisation over untamed nature. Before Hathor [Sekhmet/Tefnut] came to civilised Egypt, she was a wild, ferocious lioness. After she made contact with the symbols of civilisation, namely music, dance and wine, she became the benevolent Bastet.

This change of nature, however, did not mean that she had already abandoned her untamed character. This is why she needed constant appeasement. Hathor’s double nature reminds one of the character of the inundation, which is violent when it arrives and benevolent when it settles.”

― Wine & Wine Offering in the religion of ancient Egypt, by Mu-chou Poo (#aff)