History

Senusret I embraces the creator god, Ptah at Karnak

c. 1960 bc

The time in which the headrest has been found to be made is during what is known as Middle Kingdom Egypt. The specific year falls under the ruling of Senusret I, the second king of the 12th Dynasty. His reign was a period in Egypt's history where literature and craftsmanship was at its peek (Dunn). Many of the works of the 12th dynasty are "beautiful, reserved, and pleasing, with a clearness and finish which appeals to a sense of orderly perfection" (Petrie 1910, 18).

HEADRESTS

The earliest headrests date back to the beginning of the third dynasty. The form of these pieces constantly changed through the years. They went from double pillars to the single pillar, which only came about around the fourth dynasty, and has since been perfected. After the nineteenth century BCE, no wooden headrests were found (Petrie 1977).