Tablet Amulet with the Name Maathorneferure

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodNew Kingdom, Dynasty 19, reign of Ramesses II

Date1279-1213 BCE

MediumLapis lazuli

Credit LineGift of the Georges Ricard Foundation

Dimensions1 x 11/16 in., 3/16 in., 4 g (2.5 x 1.7 cm, 0.4 cm, 1/8 oz.)

Object number2018.010.1003

Label TextWriting tablet amulets guaranteed the survival of one’s name, an essential aspect of identity and eternal life. Lapis lazuli was the most highly prized of all ancient Egyptian semiprecious stones because it was imported from northeast Afghanistan.

This tablet is inscribed with the name Maathorneferure, meaning “She who beholds Horus, the invisible radiance of Re.” She was the daughter of King Hattusili III. She married Pharaoh Ramesses II to seal a peace treaty between the Hittites and the Egyptians. Hittite cuneiform tablets and the Marriage Stela at The Great Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel record the events leading up to the marriage. Her name appears on both faience and stone amulets.
Exhibition HistoryLife and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 4 - August 6, 2023
Published ReferencesMelinda K. Hartwig, ed. Life and the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Art from the Senusret Collection (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2023), catalogue entry 11.

ProvenanceEx coll. Georges Ricard Foundation, Santa Barbara, California, possibly purchased from Roger Fernand Galliano, Paris, France.

Status

Not on view

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