| Résumé: | In this article we study the fundamental characteristics of the goddess Maât, highlighting her instrumental role in maintaining the balance and order of the cosmos. We start by studying the “Maât de Firenze”, considering her plastic perfection, before presenting different facets of the goddess. Instead of understanding her as an ethical-moral abstract construct, we highlight her importance for Egyptian thought, her characteristics as a divinity in the pantheon and her relation with other gods. Then we analyze her role in Egyptian literature and finally her female character as a symbol of Egyptian women. The central argument is that her feminine nature forms the basis of her central position in the worldview of ancient Egypt. She embodies the importance of women in this ancient civilization, defined by some authors as uterine more than phallic.
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