Pharaoh headdress
The Hedjet crown: a white crown which represented Upper Egypt (the south part of ancient Egypt). The Pschent is composed of 2 other complementary crowns: The second most famous crown of the pharaohs is the Pschent crown. There are others that were worn for special occasions and ceremonies. The Nemes is not the only crown the pharaoh has at his disposal. One of the most famous representations of the Nemes is the golden mummy mask of Tutankhamun, which has blue stripes made of inlaid lapis lazuli. On the front of this crown was fixed the sacred uræus symbol which represented the deity of the king: the cobra goddess Wadjet. The Nemes is the headdress most represented by the Egyptian vestiges, both to honour the pharaohs and the pharaohesses. The Nemes is also represented when the pharaoh is represented by a falcon. When a pharaoh was depicted in the form of a sphinx, he usually wore this headdress with the false beard, which confirmed that the Nemes resembled to a lion's mane. Indeed, it can be seen worn by the statues of the goddesses Isis and Nephthys in their role as mourners at the death of Osiris. The use of Nemes is generally statuary and funerary. One can see on these statues guarding the entrance of a tomb some attributes of the pharaohs: the "Nemes crown", the "pharaonic false beard" and the "Pschent crown". Indeed, the first trace of this garment can be found on the seated statue of Djoser, which rests inside his stepped pyramid. The existence of the Nemes dates back to the Third Dynasty, during the reign of the pharaoh Djoser. To be worn correctly, the fabric of the Nemes was therefore quite rigid.Īs many statues show, the Nemes is usually worn with the double Pschent crown (as you can see in the image below). It also has two pairs of large flaps: one that covers both ears and the other that hangs over both shoulders. This crown also covers the entire nape and sometimes extends to the back. So, the ruler of the Nile valley has the right to possess a lion-man too. Indeed, ancient Egyptians considered that if the lion is the king of all animals, the pharaoh is the king of all humans. The form of the Nemes comes from the Egyptian lion's mane. Symbol of ancient Egypt, the Nemes is a rectangular blue and gold striped fabric worn by the Egyptian pharaohs.
Let's discover all this together! 1) The Nemes of pharaohs A) Nemes' history The other crowns of pharaohs that can replace the Nemes in different situationsĪfter this article, the attributes of the pharaohs, including the Nemes, will no longer hold any secrets for you.Symbol of sovereignty and divinity, simple and complex at the same time, it is one of the inescapable attributes of ancient Egypt. The Nemes is undoubtedly the best known pharaonic headdress because it was the most represented in Egyptian art.
You have come to the right place: as enthusiasts of ancient Egypt, we are here to answer these two questions! Are you wondering about the meaning of this famous pharaonic headdress called "Nemes"? Would you like to find out what were the other ancient crowns of pharaohs?