Menit Counterpoises

By
Meredith Fraser
Meredith Fraser is a graduate student in Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins. She is a frequent participant in Dr. Betsy Bryan's excavations at the Mut Temple in Luxor, Egypt. Currently, she is writing her dissertation on the menit necklace and its use in the New Kingdom through the Third Intermediate Period.

  • Examples of menit counterpoises from the Eton College Myers Collection.

Menit Counterpoises in the Eton College Myers Collection

The menit was a necklace sacred to the goddess Hathor and symbolized rebirth and rejuvenation.  It was not uncommon for the counterpoise from this necklace to be given as a votive object at sites sacred to the goddess.  Courtesy of the loan of some 2,000 objects from Eton College Myers Collection, we have several examples of menit counterpoises here at the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum. The menits within the collection are composed of faience and show a range of decoration, including inscriptions, openwork decoration, and counterpoises topped with a bust of the goddess in relief.  This talk will serve to introduce the menit counterpoises within the Eton College Myers collection along with comparanda in order to understand how those in the collection compare with the range of menit counterpoises found in the New Kingdom through the Late Period.

 

The full presentation can be seen here:

…<a href="https://vimeo.com/65003966">https://vimeo.com/65003966</a>…