A sistrum is a musical instrument of the percussion family, a form of rattle, used most notably by the ancient Egyptians. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze an
A sekhem-style sistrum
A sesheshet-type sistrum, shaped like a naos, Twenty-sixth Dynasty (ca. 580–525 BCE)
Ancient Relief of Woman Holding a Sistrum
Minoan clay sistrum found in Archanes, Crete
Bat is a cow goddess in Egyptian mythology who was depicted as a human face with cow ears and horns or as a woman. Evidence of the worship of Bat exists from the earliest records of the religious prac
Sistrum
…modern-day West African disc-rattle instruments. The sistrum was a sacred instrument in ancient Egypt. Perhaps originating in the worship of the goddess Bat, it was used in dances and religious ceremonies, particularly in the worship of the goddess Hathor, with the U-shape of the sistrum's handle and frame…
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