The Headrests

<!--Headrests had been in use since the Old Kingdom and are thought to be still in use till nowadays in some African countries

<!--They are thought to provide comfort in sleep and protect the head of the sleeper. They used to be covered with linen pads acting like a pillow where the head will be placed.

<!--Headrests are usually made of two parts stuck together by means of metal pins but they consist of three components:

<!--The arch or curve where the head is placed

<!--The pillar in the middle

<!--The flat base at the bottom

<!--Chapter 166 of the Book of the Dead recites a spell to be written on headrest in order to protect the head of the sleeper or the deceased. Headrests were also used after death to support the head of the mummy. The spell reads: your head will not be carried away from you; your head will never be carried away from you.

Ivory headrest with god Sw:

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God Sw covers the pillar of this headrest. He is represented with upraised arms lifting the arch of the headrest which symbolizes the sky goddess Nut. He rests on the representation of the earth or god Geb which form the base of the headrest. The sa sign of protection is hung at hish shoulders. The two parts of the headrest are connected by means of metal pegs. Flanking the god we can see two lions symbolizing the Axt sign with the two mountains and the sun rising in between sign of resurrection and rebirth. Also they could represent the iqr lions. Each lion has a tuft of hair on its shoulders which could have been a seal to mark that they belong to a specific king’s court.

Ivory headrest in the shape of a folding stool:

<!--<!--We have another unique example where the headrest is depicted in the form of a folding stool. It is made out of bands of colored ivory beads connected together to form a seat of the folding stool. Most of it is painted and it has a representation of the head of god Bes on either side painted in black as well as lotus flowers from the inside. God Bes was supposed to protect the sleeper from evil dreams by warding off the evil spirits. The legs of the stool end with geese heads maybe as a symbol for god Amen or to represent the hieroglyphic sign snD meaning fear as the sleeper would like to overcome his fear of evil spirits that could attack him while sleeping.