Two Ladies Amulet of Psusennes I

This gold amulet was found on the mummy of King Psusennes I. The two ladies amulet combines two important deities, the vulture goddess Nekhbet and the cobra goddess Wadjet, the titulary deities of Upper and Lower Egypt who signified the union of the land.

The two ladies are Nekhbet, the vulture goddess associated with Nekhen in Upper Egypt, and Wadjet, the cobra goddess associated with Buto in Lower Egypt.

The cobra goddess Wadjet was associated with the Nile Delta region from early times and became the tutelary deity of Lower Egypt in juxtaposition to her counterpart, the vulture goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt.

Her name means “the green one” which may refer to the natural color of the serpent or perhaps to the verdant Delta region which she inhabited.

She was certainly closely linked to the king, both in the “two ladies” or “two goddesses” title of the royal protocol and as a protective deity in the form of the royal uraeus worn on the monarch’s crown or headdress.

The holiest of deities in the Egyptian pantheon usually were referred to by such epithets or other titles—sometimes in great chains of titles—in order to keep their names secret from enemies and disbelievers and to show respect for their powers.

Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, reign of Psusennes I, ca. 1047-1001 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 85820-337889