Statuette of Wadjet in the Name of Akanosh, Son of Pediamenopet
Third Intermediate Period–Kushite Period or later
Dynasty 21–25, ca. 1070–664 B.C. or later
Egyptian
Copper alloy
H. 14 3/8 in.
(36.5 cm)
Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1935
(35.9.2)
Statuary and equipment in bronze and precious metals have long associations with temple cult and ritual. While the king traditionally made such gifts in his role as mediator between the gods and mankind, by the Third Intermediate Period much of the divine statuary in temples originated from nonroyal gifts, and great numbers of divine statuettes were inscribed with prayers for their donors' eternal life. Evidence from a slightly later period indicates that such consecration of temple items for the benefit of a given individual was associated with their having provided some form of economic support for the temple or temple personnel.
Lioness-headed Wadjet is inscribed with a donor's name, Akanosh, a Libyan name, although the statue may date later than the Third Intermediate Period.
