Nemes

Nemes
Nemes, symbolizing the Pharaoh’s power, both in life and death
Details
Country	Egypt
Material	Linen

Nemes, striped head cloth (crown as determinative) in hieroglyphs

Nemes in hieroglyphs

Nemes (/ˈnɛmɛʃ/) consisted of pieces of striped head cloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt.^[1] It covered the whole crown and behind of the head and nape of the neck (sometimes also extending a little way down the back) and had lappets, two large flaps which hung down behind the ears and in front of both shoulders.^[2] It was sometimes combined with the double crown,^[3] as it is on the statues of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel. The earliest depiction of the nemes, along with a uraeus, is the ivory label of Den from the 1st Dynasty. It is not a crown in itself, but still symbolizes the pharaoh's power.

The occult society "The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn" used headwear similar to ancient Egyptian nemes, which they spelled "nemyss", as part of their "traditional ceremonial garb".^[4]

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  Upper part of portrait statuette of pharaoh Amenemhat III, wearing a nemes, c. 1853 – c. 1805 BCE
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  The back and upper part of portrait statuette of pharaoh Amenemhat III, wearing a nemes, c. 1853 – c. 1805 BCE
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  Amenhotep II wearing a nemes, KV35, Valley of the Kings c. 1427 – c. 1401 BCE
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  The golden mask from the mummy of Tutankhamun wearing the nemes, c. 1323 BCE
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  Profile of a statuette of Akhenaten wearing a nemes, c. 1351 – c. 1332 BCE
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  Relief from the Sanctuary of Khonsu Temple depicting Rameses III wearing a nemes
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  Ushabti of Ramses IV with a nemes, c. 1143 – c. 1136 BCE
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  Statue at Abu Simbel of Ramesses II wearing the pschent atop a nemes
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  Miniature metal nemes
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  CE 1st-century Roman emperor as pharaoh (Louvre)
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  Caracalla (r. 198–217) as pharaoh (Alexandria National Museum)
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  Yul Brynner wearing a nemes as Ramesses II in The Ten Commandments

• Toby A. H. Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, Routledge 1999
• Bruce Graham Trigger, Ancient Egypt: A Social History, Cambridge University Press 1983
• Fragment of a basalt Egyptian-style statue of Ptolemy I

• Media related to Nemes headcloth at Wikimedia Commons

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