Sacred Animals of Ancient Egypt Gallery
By Robert Partridge
Last updated 2011-02-17
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The royal cobra of Senuseret I in inlaid gold
The Ancient Egyptians were very wary of snakes, especially the poisonous Egyptian cobra and the black-necked spitting cobra, which could spit venom into the eyes of an aggressor.
The cobra was adopted as protector of the king, and representations of the snake (referred to by Egyptologists as an uraeus), with its hood raised and ready to spit venom, sometimes adorn the brows of various kings.
This example of solid gold inlaid with coloured stones, belonged to King Senuseret I.
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