| Vulture crown | |
| Nation: | Egypt |
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The Vulture crown was an ancient Egyptian crown worn by Great Royal Wives and female pharaohs. It was depicted as a headdress in the shape of a vulture draped over the head, with its wings hanging down on the sides.[1] It was a symbol of protection associated with the vulture goddess Nekhbet, who often wore this crown when depicted in a human form.[2] These crowns were frequently worn by the Great Royal Wife, high ranking priestesses, and female pharaohs. These crowns were also sometimes equipped with the Uraeus to symbolize Wadjet,[3] representing both Upper (Nekhbet) and Lower Egypt (Wadjet).
The vulture crown was initially only seen in depictions of goddesses.[4] From the Fifth Dynasty onwards, however, queens began to wear the headdress regularly as part of their iconography.[5] The association of Nekhbet with the queen stemmed from the vulture's symbolism of motherhood; the hieroglyph for the vulture, mwt, was used to write the word for "mother".[6] Because Nekhbet was a protector goddess, the queen's affiliation with her complemented the king's role as the embodiment of the falcon god Horus.[7]
Khentkaus II was one of the first queens to wear the vulture headdress.[8] In the New Kingdom, the vulture's head on the crown was more frequently replaced by the uraeus.[9]