Eight Masterpieces Of Ancient Egyptian Jewellery
Ancient Egypt|November / December 2020
Nigel Fletcher-Jones showcases some of the most stunning pieces created by ancient Egypt’s master craftsmen.
​​​​​​​Nigel Fletcher-Jones
Eight Masterpieces Of Ancient Egyptian Jewellery

For many years, most of the visitors to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo have been led to the familiar glints of gold in the room at the rear of the first floor devoted to the richest of Tutankhamun’s treasures, and have missed the two small rooms to either side containing finds from Tanis and jewellery from many other sites. The material from Tutankhamun’s tomb is in the process of being moved, of course, and some of the other magnificent pieces housed in the Egyptian Museum will presumably follow, but for the moment it remains possible to see many of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian jewellery in one place.

For this article, I have chosen eight pieces of jewellery from the original collection, some of which may be familiar and some less so. Seven are currently in Cairo, with one (the fly pendant) at Luxor Museum. None of them belonged to Tutankhamun!

The Bracelets of Horus Djer

Materials: Gold, turquoise, lapis lazuli, amethyst, limestone Original location: Tomb O (Djer), Umm el-Qa’ab, Abydos (excavated by Petrie in 1901)

Period: First Dynasty, Early Dynastic Period, reign of Horus Djer (c. 3040 BC)

Owner: An unknown queen?

These bracelets (pictured above and left) date to the period soon after the unification of Egypt, around 3100 BC. They were found on a mummified arm hidden in the wall of king Djer’s tomb, possibly by tomb robbers who did not return to claim their prize.

The upper serekh bracelet is composed of twenty-nine beads of gold and turquoise showing a falcon perched above a representation of a royal palace. The small rectangles below the falcon may have been intended to represent the name of Djer. The pieces of this bracelet are marked on the bottom to show how they were intended to be arranged.

この記事は Ancient Egypt の November / December 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Ancient Egypt の November / December 2020 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

ANCIENT EGYPTのその他の記事すべて表示
INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER
Ancient Egypt

INSIDE THE STEP PYRAMID OF DJOSER

Sean McLachlan explores the recently reopened interior of this iconic Third Dynasty Saqqara monument.

time-read
2 分  |
July/ August 2021
PER MESUT: for younger readers
Ancient Egypt

PER MESUT: for younger readers

She Who Loves Silence

time-read
4 分  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband
Ancient Egypt

Highlights of the Manchester Museum 29: An Offering by Queen Tiye for her Husband

Campbell Price describes an offering table with a touching significance.

time-read
2 分  |
July/ August 2021
Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth
Ancient Egypt

Highlights Of The Manchester Museum 28: Busts Of Jesse And Marianne Haworth

Campbell Price describes the significance of two statue busts on display in the Museum.

time-read
2 分  |
May / June 2021
TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy
Ancient Egypt

TAKABUTI, the Belfast Mummy

Rosalie David and Eileen Murphy explain how scientific examination of the ‘Belfast Mummy’ is revealing much new information about her life and times.

time-read
9 分  |
May / June 2021
Lost Golden City
Ancient Egypt

Lost Golden City

An Egyptian Mission searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun has discovered a settlement – “The Dazzling of Aten” – described as the largest city ever found in Egypt (see above). Finds bearing the cartouches of Amenhotep III (see opposite, top) date the settlement to his reign, c. 1390-1352 BC – making it about 3400 years old.

time-read
2 分  |
May / June 2021
Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem
Ancient Egypt

Jerusalem's Survival, Sennacharib's Departure and the Kushite Role in 701 BCE: An Examination of Henry Aubin's Rescue of Jerusalem

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 分  |
May / June 2021
Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price
Ancient Egypt

Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting Identities from the Graeco-Roman Period by Campbell Price

BOOK REVIEWS

time-read
2 分  |
May / June 2021
Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara
Ancient Egypt

Old And New Kingdom Discoveries At Saqqara

An Egyptian team working on a Sixth Dynasty pyramid complex near the Teti pyramid at Saqqara has made a series of important discoveries.

time-read
1 min  |
March / April 2021
Map Of Egypt
Ancient Egypt

Map Of Egypt

What’s in a name? It is easy for us to forget that the names we associate with the pyramids – such as the Meidum Pyramid, the Bent Pyramid or the Black Pyramid – would have been meaningless to their builders.

time-read
3 分  |
March / April 2021