Ear Stela in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2026

Title: Ear stela dedicated to the goddess Nebethetepet by Usersatet

Period: New Kingdom, Ramesside Period

Date: ca. 1295‒1186 BCE

Medium: Stone - Limestone

Dimensions: 17.5 × 15 × 5 cm, 1.5 kg (6 7/8 × 5 7/8 × 1 15/16 in., 3.3 lb.)
Mount: 13.5 × 14.5 × 12.5 cm (5 5/16 in. × 5 11/16 in. × 4 15/16 in.)

Credit Line: Museo Egizio, Torino (Cat. 1546)

Object No.: DE.085

Egyptians offered ears, in the form of models or inscriptions on stelae, to the gods to emphasize a deity’s ability to hear requests. These stelae show different forms and styles. Usersatet’s holds an inscription dedicated to the goddess Nebethetepet, "who hears prayers, Lady of the Sky." Many examples are crudely made, such as Ramessumerysutekh’s ear, or left uninscribed. This suggests that the ear donations came from a wide range of individuals with different means.

See also: Model ear stela of Ramessumerysutekh
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Rogers Fund, 1959 (59.99


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/divine-egypt/exhibition-objects