Dagger handle (with 22.3.75b)

Second Intermediate Period–Early New Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 109

Inscribed for Hatshepsut's father, Thutmose I, these two wooden grips were fixed to either side of the handle of a dagger. The end of each grip is decorated with a falcon, its wings bent to fit the curve of the pommel, and shen hieroglyphs, signifying eternity. Since the falcon represents Horus, a god personified by the king on earth, he may be seen as holding eternity and perhaps also extending it to the king named below.

Dagger handle (with 22.3.75b), Wood

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Dagger handle (with 22.3.75b), Wood
Dagger handle (with 22.3.75b), Wood

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