Issue No. 599
Heritage
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15 - 21 August 2002 Issue No. 599 Heritage |
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Piece of the month
AN UDJET gold necklace belonging to the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamun, unearthed along with the rest of his funerary objects in an unprecedented find at his tomb in Luxor in 1922, is the Egyptian Museum's August Piece of the Month.
There are so many magnificent treasures in the Tutankhamun collection on the second floor of Cairo Museum that it is easy to miss out on the finer details of many smaller objects. This pectoral is an elaborate gold and silver piece adorned with precious and semi-precious coloured stones. "It is a very beautiful example which illustrates the intricate work of the ancient jewellers and the rich symbolism behind each creation. It illustrates the eternal cycle," museum director, Mamdouh El-Damati told Al-Ahram Weekly.
Such talismans were worn to bring good luck. The udjet, or Eye of Horus, guaranteed the wearer good health and well being. A scarab was identified with the rising sun and therefore with eternal rebirth. Uraeus serpents symbolised kingship, and the wings of a falcon the sun. Flowers and buds of papyrus and lotus plants were the emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt. These and other symbols were counterpoised in the magnificent jewellery of Tutankhamun, exemplifying the most exquisite examples of the goldsmith's trade.
Apart from gold, silver and precious stones, quartz and minerals were ground by the ancient Egyptians to produce a glazed composition that could be moulded and worked into the beads, inlays, and some of the amulets used in the jewellery to give the appearance of more expensive stones. Glass may have been discovered by accident during the production of these glazed beads, and from the New Kingdom onwards glass, too, was worked into jewellery production.
The pectoral is on special display in the museum's foyer until the end of the month.
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