Vessel Depicting Hathor Flanked by Felines
This gold band, once part of the neck of a silver vessel, offers a tantalising glimpse into the ritual and mythological world of Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramesses II or shortly thereafter (circa 1279–1213 B.C.). Found at Tell Basta (ancient Bubastis) within the Temple of Bastet, the fragment bears rich symbolic decoration despite its incomplete state. Despite being fragmentary, this seemingly modest fragment showcases the splendour and adornment of ritualistic vessels.
The vessel to which this golden rim once belonged was crafted from silver; a choice that spoke not merely of wealth, but of reverence. In Ancient Egypt, silver was rarer than gold, often imported through long-distance trade and prized for its lunar glow. While gold was abundant in Nubia and reserved for the flesh of the gods, silver, known as “white gold“, was valued even more highly due to its scarcity. To fashion a sacred vessel from such a precious metal suggests it was intended for use in ritual of the highest order, perhaps in offerings to goddesses whose powers spanned joy, rage, and cosmic renewal.
The band is adorned with the face of the goddess Hathor, easily recognised by her cow ears and serene features. Flanking her are lion cub, an unusual but significant substitution for the more common domestic cats. This iconography evokes a cluster of powerful female deities: Hathor herself, Bastet, and the fierce lioness goddess Sekhmet.
Together, these figures allude to the mythology of the Distant Goddess, a tale in which the Eye of Re, often personified as a goddess, flees from her father, rampages across the land, and is only pacified through the use of alcohol. This myth, closely tied to the Destruction of Mankind narrative, underpins several Ancient Egyptian festivals where ritual intoxication was not only accepted but seen as a divine act, bringing participants closer to the gods through ecstatic communion.
The presence of such imagery on this vessel’s neck suggests it once contained an intoxicating substance, possibly wine or beer, used in ceremonial contexts.
The Distant Goddess
The tale of the Distant Goddess, a myth spun from sunlight, fury, and reconciliation, is one of the most enchanting and mysterious in the Ancient Egyptian sacred imagination.
Once, the Eye of Re (the divine force, in the form of a goddess who embodied Re’s fierce and watchful gaze) grew wild and wrathful. In some tellings, she became Sekhmet, a lioness unleashed upon humankind, whose bloodlust threatened to unmake creation itself. To calm her, the gods devised a clever ruse: they dyed beer red to resemble blood and poured it across the land. The goddess drank deeply, grew merry and drowsy, and awoke no longer as a destroyer, but as Hathor, the sweet-natured goddess of music, joy, and love. This tale, rich in symbolism, was not merely a story, it was a cosmic drama re-enacted in festivals, where ritual intoxication mirrored the divine transformation and celebrated the return of balance, beauty, and celestial harmony.
It is in such a festival or ritual in which this vessel was likely used.
Ancient cache
The “ancient cache” within the Temple of Bastet refers to a deliberate burial or concealment of sacred objects, often within the temple precincts. These caches were typically created when items; such as damaged, outdated, or ritually “retired” cult equipment which could no longer be used in worship but were still considered too sacred to discard.
In the Temple of Bastet at Tell Basta (ancient Bubastis), such a cache might have included votive offerings, broken ritual vessels, statues, amulets, and other temple furnishings. These objects were frequently buried in pits or hidden chambers beneath or beside the temple structures. The goal was preservation rather than disposal, a way to respectfully remove holy items from use while maintaining their connection to the divine.
This particular silver vessel fragment, with its exquisite gold collar bearing the image of Hathor, was likely once part of the temple’s ritual equipment and eventually placed in this cache when it was damaged or ritually retired. Its discovery provides a rare and intimate glimpse into the sacred life of the temple, and the material richness of the cult practices surrounding Bastet and her solar sisters.
Summary:
Gold band depicting Hathor flanked by Felines from a Silver Vessel
New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II or slightly later, c. 1279–1213 B.C.
Formerly of the Theodore M. Davis Collection. Bequeathed to the Met Museum by Davis, 1915; accessioned, 1930. 30.8.370
