Sovereign's Crown

Lore & Background

Royal attributes appeared at the dawn of civilization. From the First Dynasty onwards, sovereigns commonly wore the white crown of Upper Egypt, shaped like an elongated mitre ending in a bulb, and the red crown of Lower Egypt, resembling a mortarboard with a rear stem ending in a spiral known as the khabet. The earliest depiction of the red crown appears on pottery from Naqada (Nubt) dated to the Naqada I period (3800/3500 BC). The earliest white crown depiction is on a censer found at Qustul in Lower Nubia, circa 3150 BC. Nested together, these form the double crown pa-sekhemty, or pschent, symbolizing the union of the country. On a divine level, this was worn by Atum, Mut, and Horus. The oldest representation of the pschent is engraved on a rock in the western desert from the reign of Djet (First Dynasty), later appearing on an ivory label from the reign of Den found at Abydos.

In Their Own Story

Throughout Pharaonic history, the white crown held superiority over the red one. According to French Egyptologist Bernadette Menu, archaic documentation suggests these crowns indicated the pharaoh's two main roles: wearing the white crown allowed him to repel disorder by massacring enemies with a mace, while the red crown enabled him to bring prosperity by surveying fields and taking censuses of herds. Later, during the New Kingdom, the blue khepresh headdress became quite common, particularly in battle scenes or religious celebrations like the Min Festival. Although Egyptologists once mistakenly believed it was an iron war helmet, it is actually a distinctive sign of triumph made of fabric or leather, studded with small circular golden lozenges. The nemes headdress, a pleated striped cloth in lapis lazuli blue and yellow, was worn over the head to completely envelop the hair. Its earliest attestation dates to a statue of King Djoser (3rd Dynasty) circa 2650 BC.

Reader's Guide

The scepters were symbols of domination demonstrating the Pharaoh as the shepherd of his people. The scepter-heqa, a shepherd's crook with a curved end designed to grasp an ovis or caprinae by the hind leg for care, is surely the oldest symbol of Pharaonic domination. In hieroglyphic writing, it served as an ideogram for 'power/authority/sovereignty'. The flagellum-nekhekh accompanied this pastoral aspect. Other attributes included a bull's tail attached to the loincloth, a ceremonial beard, sandals, and the mekes case. A powerful symbol of protection, the snake-uraeus inevitably encircled the royal brow on all occasions. In the earliest royal scenes, the pharaoh was led by a courtier bearing a sign featuring the canine Wepwawet accompanied by a protective uraeus. Upon death, the sovereign wore both the cobra and vulture's head (Wadjet and Nekhbet), as seen on Tutankhamun's sarcophagus.

Did You Know?

• The earliest depiction of the red crown is on pottery from Naqada dated to the Naqada I period (3800/3500 BC).
• According to Bernadette Menu, wearing the white crown symbolized repelling disorder with a mace, while the red crown symbolized bringing prosperity through field surveys.
• The khepresh headdress was mistakenly believed by Egyptologists for a long time to be an iron war helmet before being identified as fabric or leather.
• In death, the pharaoh wore both the cobra and vulture heads (Wadjet and Nekhbet) simultaneously, unlike in life when only the cobra appeared on the forehead.
• The two oldest known examples of the heqa scepter came from the royal necropolis of Abydos, with one dating to the end of the Naqada II period.