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The Crown of Egypt
The crown of Egypt was an ornamental headdress
signifying the sovereignty and royalty of the
Pharaoh. The ancient Egyptian crowns symbolized the
authority and legitimacy of the ruler of the
country. The ancient Egyptian crowns came in different
sizes and shapes that identified the king with
different areas of the country and connected him
with the ancient Egyptian gods. The royal crowns were worn on all official state and
religious occasions.
The Crown of Egypt - The Coronation
Although the new pharaoh immediately assumed the
Egyptian throne his coronation ceremony did not
take place until the first day of a new season
which symbolized the beginning of a new era. The
crown of Egypt played a central role in the
coronation of a new king. Various ceremonies and
rituals were required before the new ruler was
allowed to wear the crown of Egypt. These
ceremonies included the Sokar festival and the
Sed festival. The coronation of a new king
invested the new ruler with the insignia of
royalty when he succeeded to the sovereignty.
The Crown of Egypt - The Red Crown, the White
Crown and the Double Crown
The "two lands" of ancient Egypt referred to the
Nile Delta region that bordered the
Mediterranean called 'Lower Egypt' and the lands
of The Nile Valley that bordered Nubia called
"Upper Egypt". In predynastic times there was a
king for each of the "two lands". Each king had
his own crown, one was red and the other was
white. The country was unified and the red and
white crowns were combined to symbolizing the
unification of the country.
Crown of
Lower Egypt
Crown of
Upper Egypt
Crown of
Unified Egypt
The Red Crown of Egypt - The Deshret
The Red crown of Egypt was called the
Deshret and represented Lower Egypt (in
the Nile Delta of the North). The Deshret crown was
believed to have been given by the god Geb to Horus, the son of Osiris to rule
over Lower Egypt. The cobra goddess, Wadjet,
was the protector of Lower Egypt and is
depicted wearing the Deshret red crown. The red crown
represented the 'Red Lands' of the ancient
Egyptians. The red crown of Egypt is
characterized by a curly wire in its end
representative of the proboscis of the
honeybee. In Egypt the honeybee a
sign of royalty. The picture of the
'eye' depicts Wadjet and Nekhbet, the
guardian goddesses of ancient Egypt
referred to as the 'Two Ladies'.
The White Crown of Egypt - The Hedjet
The White Crown was called the Hedjet,
and represented Upper Egypt (the South
of Egypt). Nekhbet, the white vulture
goddess was the guardian of Upper Egypt
and was often depicted wearing the white
Hedjet crown of Egypt. The white Hedjet
crown was often combined with ostrich feathers on each side
and in this style was called the Atef
crown. The Atef was occasionally depicted
topped with a gold disk and
represented Upper Egypt, as shown in
the 'eye' picture depicting the vulture
goddess. A famous and early depiction of
the White Crown is found on the
Narmer Palette in which Narmer, the
king of the South, wearing the hedjet
white crown, is shown triumphing over
his enemies in the North. The
pharaohs of the
1st Dynasty started with
King Narmer(also refer to
Menes)
who is credited with founding the first
dynasty of kings and the unification of
Egypt. The reverse side of the Narmer
palette shows the king wearing the
Deshret crown (top left) indicating his
sovereignty over the conquered north.
King Den was the first ruler to use the
title King of Lower and Upper Egypt and
the first pharaoh depicted wearing the Pshent Double Crown
of Egypt.
The Double Crown of Egypt - The Pshent
The Double crown of Egypt was called the Pshent
and represented a unified Egypt. When
Egypt was unified and the red and white
crowns were combined to symbolizing the
unification of the country. When the two
nations were united, so were their
crowns.
The Deshret
The Hedjet
The Pshent
As time passed other styles of crowns
were also adopted by the ancient
Egyptian pharaohs.
The War Crown of Egypt - The Khepresh
Crown
The Khepresh was the blue crown that was
worn by Pharaohs in battle and featured the
Uraeus rearing cobra symbol on the
front of the crown. (The blue
Khepresh crown was worn by Yul Brynner who
played Pharaoh Ramses II in the 1956 movie, The
Ten Commandments).
The Nemes Crown of Egypt
The Nemes was the striped head cloth
worn by the later pharaohs. (The picture below shows the
royal headdress worn by Yul Brynner as Ramses).
Not one crown has survived but the
picture provides an approximation of what the
headdress looked like and shows the prominence
of the Uraeus rearing cobra symbol.
The Uraeus was originally the symbol of the Pharaohs of Lower Egypt. The
Uraeus appears as a symbol worn on the royal crowns
and nemes and is also associated with the sun and with many
Egyptian gods and goddesses. The Nemes headdress was tied
at the back of the head with lappets
that fell down either side.
The
Crown of Egypt
-
The Royal Vulture Crown
The Royal Vulture crown was worn by the
most revered royal women. The Royal Vulture
Crown that consisted of a falcon feather
headdress with its wings spread round her head
in the act of protection, once again reflecting
the Nekhbet, the white vulture goddess. The
Royal Vulture Crown was adorned by a
Uraeus, the rearing cobra emblem and symbol of
the Pharaohs.
Nefertari wearing the Royal Vulture Crown
Crown of Egypt
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and
the ancient Egyptian Crowns inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egyptian Travel and Tours to
experience the wonders of this magical land at first
hand. Many people choose to experience a tour on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and
ancient Egyptian sites such as the Pyramids of Giza and the
Great Sphinx. The information and facts about the ancient
Egyptian Crowns will provide you with a great insight into the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.
Crown of Egypt |
