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Cobra Goddess of Ancient Egypt: Predynastic, Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom Periods by Sally B. Johnson. Kegan Paul International, 1990. ISBN: 0710302126

Reviewed by Cristina Rizen for Cup of Wonder Issue 6

As the title implies, this book is an exhaustive examination of uraeus cobra iconography during the early periods of the ancient Egyptian culture. The uraeus is a very common symbol in ancient Egyptian art, consisting of a rearing cobra whose head and lower body are shown in profile while the hood is usually shown in a full frontal view. It has long been a symbol of the divine power of ancient kings and the gods.

The brief yet informative Introduction and Conclusion chapters bracket an encyclopedic catalog of the forms and uses of the uraeus, which Johnson separates into eight types. Each type has two to six subtypes, and each subtype is similarly broken down further into more specific variations. Every detail-from accompanying symbols to number and style of loops in the tail-is described and cataloged. Numerous photographic and/or line drawing examples (all from museum collections from around the world or from monuments still standing) are given for each type and the variations within the types. The evolution of the uraeus cobra is illustrated in the progression from its earliest depictions in more nature-oriented settings, usually accompanying elephants, on Predynastic pottery and knife handles, to its later use in the contexts of deities and kingship on increasingly monumental works.

Cobra Goddess may not be the most thrilling read, however one would be hard pressed to find a better resource for the study of the uraeus cobra in ancient Egyptian art. While lacking an index, the bibliography is good and the number of charts and concordances make it not completely unwieldy. This book is currently available at exorbitant cost from the major online booksellers, so tracking down a copy through inter-library loan or a used bookstore would be time and effort well spent.