Collar Of Psusennes I

This collar is made of made of seven rows of thin, disk-shaped gold beads. It is extremely heavy, weighing some 8 kilograms. Collars of this type were known as the shebyu or “gold of honor,” which was traditionally given by a pharaoh to officials who had served with particular distinction. Kings could also wear the gold of honor as a mark of divine favor. Psusennes was buried with three shebyu collars, each slightly different in design. This collar closes at the back with a golden clasp decorated with the king’s cartouches, flanked on one side by a seated figure of Amun and on the other by a seated figure of the goddess Mut. The inscription is chased into the gold, and inlaid with semi-precious...