Khepresh

Khepresh
Khepresh, the blue crown of Egypt
Details
CountryAncient Egypt (New Kingdom)

The khepresh (ḫprš) was an ancient Egyptian royal headdress. It is also known as the blue crown or war crown. New Kingdom pharaohs are often depicted wearing it in battle, but it was also frequently worn in ceremonies.[1] While it was once called the war crown by many, modern historians refrain from characterizing it thus.[2]

No original example of a khepresh has yet been found. Based on ancient artistic representations, some Egyptologists have speculated that the khepresh was made of leather or stiffened cloth[3] covered with a precise arrangement of hundreds of sequins, discs, bosses, or rings. Given that the deshret (red crown) and hedjet (white crown) were apparently woven of some sort of plant fiber, the circles or rings decorating ancient artistic representations of the khepresh may instead indicate the regular array of hexagonal holes in an open triaxial weave. As with many other royal crowns, a uraeus (cobra) was hooked to the front of the khepresh.

  1. ^ e.g. Myśliwiec, Karol, Eros on the Nile, Cornell University Press 2004, p.14
  2. ^ Kuhrt, Amélie, The Ancient Near East: C.3000–330 B.C., Taylor & Francis 1995, p.190
  3. ^ Maisels, Charles Keith, Early Civilizations of the Old World, Routledge 2001, p.60