Foot of a tripod

This silver foot belonged to a folding tripod. The tripod was multifunctional: it could be used as the support for a tabletop or a matching dish or kettle. The foot is decorated at the top with a uraeus, the Egyptian royal snake (cobra). The cobra is an important symbol in the religion of Ancient Egypt. This tripod may possibly have been used during the ritual worship of an Egyptian god, such as Isis, who was also venerated by the Romans in the Low Countries. The bottom of the foot is decorated with a lion’s paw. The foot was dredged up from the River Maas near Stevensweert, along with the fragment of a second one.