Gold Ring Decorated with a Hathor Sistrum

The ring, decorated with a Hathor sistrum, which is clearly an ancient Egyptian product, was found in a Late Bronze Age Canaanite tomb at Tell el-Ajjul, indicating that Egyptian amulets besides scarabs were used by the Canaanite population during this period, in emulation of Egyptian customs.

The connection of the cat with the Hathor sistrum seems to relate to the role of Hathor as goddess of women, female sexuality, and motherhood. This aspect of Hathor identified her with the Egyptian goddess Nebethetepet means “Lady of the Offerings” or “Satisfied Lady”, the female counterpart of the creator god, whose most distinctive characteristic was sexual energy, and whose association with the cat was probably due to the animal’s exceptional procreative powers.

Jewelry production during the New Kingdom is attested by several sets of grave goods including that of Queen Ahhotep and the famous treasure of Tutankhamun; the works of gold and silver found in the necropolis of Tanis, on the other hand, are evidence of the technical and artistic skills of the jewelers during the Third Intermediate Period. Temples too held large quantities of precious objects donated as votive offerings, for instance, the finds at Tell Basta (Bubastis) and the jewels from the Roman Period discovered at Dush (known as Kysis).

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1500-1300 BC. Excavated in Tell el-Ajjul, Gaza. Now in the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, Jerusalem. 1932-1810