Sistro; Egypt, Lower Epoch, 664-323 B.C.

Sistrum; Egypt, Lower Epoch, 664-323 BC.
Bronze.
Measurements: 27,5 cm high.
Egyptian Sistrum dated in the Low Epoch, made entirely in bronze, with cylindrical handle adorned with moldings in the base and the superior zone, prolonged superior arch, with a phallic representation in the base, and a head of the goddess Hator in the central zone, with its characteristic cow ears and a cobra with royal crown to each side. The Uraeus is the Egyptian cobra, symbol of royalty and representation of the goddess Uadyet, Lady of Heaven and protector of the pharaoh. Hence its presence as a protective emblem on the headdresses and crowns of the pharaohs, who in fact were the only ones who could wear it, as a distinctive attribute of royalty. The goddess Uadyet, solar divinity originating from the delta of the Child, symbolized Lower Egypt, as the vulture goddess Nejbet represented Upper Egypt. One of the titles of the pharaoh, the name of Nebty, contains the Uraeus. It is also depicted on the top of many temples, and on the Egyptian crown it appears holding the Nemes (the headdress of the pharaohs). Likewise, it used to be represented in jewelry or amulets of pharaohs and gods.
Regarding the goddess Hator, who stars in this piece, she was a cosmic and nurturing Egyptian divinity, related to love, joy, dance and musical arts, hence her representation in this musical instrument. She is commonly depicted as a cow goddess with horns holding a sun disk with Uraeus, although she can also appear as a woman with cow ears or as a cow. Considered daughter of Ra, eye of Ra and wife of Horus, she is also sometimes presented as the mother of the latter, associated with Isis. Mythology narrates that she helped her husband to avenge the death of Osiris, and that she nourishes and gives life to the celestial tree. As a cow, she welcomes and protects the deceased, feeding them and helping them to avoid their suffering.
The sistro is a musical instrument in the shape of a hoop or horseshoe, containing metal cymbals inserted into rods, which sound when the instrument is shaken. It is therefore of percussion, of the family of the idiophones, within the fame of the indirectly percussive, or shaken, like the maracas, the castanets or the rattles. In the Egyptian culture, it was an attribute of the goddesses Isis, Bat and Bastet. In Egypt it was, in fact, a sacred instrument, and possibly it sinks its roots in the adoration to Bast. It was used in dances and religious ceremonies, particularly in the worship of the goddess Hator, since the "u" shape of the sistrum is reminiscent of the face and horns of the divine cow. It was also sounded to prevent the flooding of the Nile and to keep the god Seth away.