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Lot Essay
The canonical pose for Maat is squatting with her hands on her knees, while striding versions are much less common. For a squatting Maat similarly adorned with her ostrich feather attribute see no. 69 in Capel and Markoe, eds., Mistress of the House, Mistress of Heaven, Women in Ancient Egypt. According to Markoe (in Capel and Markoe, op. cit., p. 140-141), "Maat occupied a relatively unique position among the many female deities in the Egyptian pantheon. Unlike other Egyptian divinities, her character was not so much that of a goddess but of an abstract entity. Maat was the moderator of all things in the universe, the source of equilibrium in the natural realm. She represented the deified concept of world order, balance, and harmony. Her powers extended beyond the realm of the purely cosmic; she regulated not only the seasons and the movement of the stars but relations between the gods and men. Consequently, she served as the embodiment of truth, justice, and moral integrity. As mortal representative and spokesman of the gods, it was, in fact, the king who had the responsibility to maintain Maat and preserve Egypt's social order."