Bat (goddess)

The imagery of Bat persisted throughout the history of ancient Egypt on the sistrum, a sacred instrument that remained associated with religious practices.

The worship of Bat dates to earliest times in ancient Egypt and may have its origins in Late Paleolithic cattle herding cultures.

More commonly, Bat was depicted on amulets, with a human face, but with bovine features, such as the ears of a cow and the inward-curving horns of the type of cattle first herded by the Egyptians.

In two dimensional images, both goddesses often are depicted straight on, facing the onlooker and not in profile in accordance with the characteristic Egyptian convention.

By the Middle Kingdom, the cult of Hathor had again absorbed that of Bat in a manner similar to other mergers in the Egyptian pantheon.

This painted terracotta Naqada figure of a woman is interpreted as representing Bat, c. 3500–3400 BCE - Brooklyn Museum
Both Bat (right) and Hathor (left) flank Menkaure in this Fourth Dynasty triad statue, c. 2530 B.C. The goddesses provide the authority for him to be king and are identified by their crowns. The emblem on Bat's crown represents the sistrum , although the crown also includes her zoomorphic face and the feather of Ma'at .
Bat flanks the top of both sides of the Narmer Palette , c. 3200–3100 BC