Ancient egyptian jewelry
The Egyptians have been the exquisite innovators in jewelry making and designing. History proves that the Egyptians have used and identified various metals and materials. The love of the Egyptians for the jewelry can be illustrated right from the first dynasty. The ancient Egyptians did not wear jewelry for showing off but the different colors and stones had a symbolic significance for living and dead. They valued jewelry not only for the beauty but also for the magical, religious and spiritual protection it provided form the evil.
The ancient Egyptians wore jewelry made right from simple natural material to most complicated gemstones. Egyptians being great creators never differentiated between a metal, mineral, a lucky charm or a symbol. The terms which they used for the stones or jewelry usually were synonymous to the expressions of joy and delight or evil. Their jewelry designs were also dominated by the god and goddesses figures.
Ancient Egyptians started designing jewelry from the Badari and Naqada eras. During this time the jewelry was made from materials which were easily available and were as simple as plant branches, shells, beads, solid stones or bones, which were arranged in threads of flax or cow hair. To make these pieces more attractive they began painting them with glass substance. The ancient Egyptians were also attracted toward beads which were used on regular basis other than anything else. The Middle Kingdom Egyptians were titled as one of the best goldsmiths. It was said that till this period they had mastered the technique and accuracy required for producing pieces of jewelry. The main reason for their business to flourish was the regular missions to the Eastern Desert> and Nubia to extract metals. These metals were then processed and arranged with all sort of semiprecious stones found in Ancient Egypt. Egyptians used jewelry in daily life from the Pharaonic era till the Roman Times.
The type of accessories the Ancient Egyptians used were wreaths, crowns, hair band, Bracelets and Bangles, finger rings, earrings, anklets and necklaces. They also used pins, belt buckles and amulets made out of gold and silver which was decorated by glass and faience. The Ancient Egyptians introduced an exclusive piece of jewelry that never appeared in other cultures- the vest. As the name says it was worn around the chest which was either made of gold or gold plated metal. Even though this piece was made of cheap material it was painted yellow to a golden impression. Wearing a vest till today is a part of Egyptian Tradition. Vest today is identified under a different name, the Kirdan, which every village girl dreams to posses to boast about.
As we know that the Egyptians were the strong believers in reincarnation they keep a fair number of jewelry in tombs. On the head or wig they fixed different types of motifs like small roses and golden bands. They also introduced different types of belts with hanging vertical straps ornamented with colored beads. Egyptians gave priority to silver compared to gold as it was very expensive. The Djed pillar, Four Sons of Horus and The scarab wear one of the important and commonly found pieces of jewelry that were kept on the mummy because of their spiritual significance.
The Dejed pillar was popular in Ancient Egypt because it was a sign of stability and endurance. This pillar was said to be the backbone of the god of the underworld, namely Osiris. Dejed is symbolically represented with a column with broad base and capital divided by four parallel bars, which was placed on the torso, the upper chest or around the neck. The Dejed pillar was considered vital because the Egyptians felt that it helped transform the human body into the spirit form assumed by the dead in the afterlife and was a sacred sign of Osiris.
The Four Sons of Horus are also described as funerary deities and were very popular amulets throughout Ancient Egyptian history. These Sons of Horus were known as Duamutef, Imsety, Hapi and Qebehsenuef. Duamutef was a man with the head of a jackal, Imsety with the head of a man, Hapi had the head of a baboon and Qubsehsenuef had the head of a falcon. These Sons of Horus protected the dead on their afterlife journey and the internal organs which were removed from the body during the mummification process. These amulets were placed inside the mummy or placed in the linen wrapping or sewn into the mummy bandages.
Another popular and important amulet was the Scarab, which was based on the image of the dung beetle or Scarabeus Sacer. This particular amulet was meant for living as well as dead because it represented self-generation, resurrection and renewal. The symbol of the Scarab was based on the behavioral pattern of the dung beetle. The beetle pushes a ball of dung into a hole and then lays its eggs in the dung, which provides the offspring with security and food. So the Egyptians related this action of the beetle to rebirth and renewal which was also was associated with the solar cult stories about the rebirth of the sun. The Ancient Egyptians believed that the dung beetle used to roll the sun across the sky everyday. The Scarab was usually used as an official seal mounted on the finger ring with an inscription on the other side and was worn by high ranking officials during that epoch.
As said earlier the Egyptians had significance of jewels for living as well as dead, but they used certain types of pendants as an honor for military achievement. The most prominently know was 'Golden Fly of Valor' also known as 'The Order of the Golden Fly'. This fly-shaped pendant was mostly made of gold and appeared as beads strung on necklaces from early pre-dynastic Naqqada II phase, which was portrayed in hieroglyphs as a sign of 'determinator'. The fly was an award for military achievement because of its similitude to perseverance of the enemies. It was said that no matter how much the fly was shooed away it came back. Even though all the scholars have different opinion regarding this particular piece it was related as a symbol of military importance because of it determination as an enemy and its tendency to hang around battlefields were blood is being shed.
Other such known piece of jewelry was The Shebiu Collar. This collar consists of up to two rows of thick biconical disc-beads fixed together which was again a part of honorific ornamentation. The Shebiu collar started appearing in the New Kingdom when adopted by Tutmosis IV which lasted throughout the New kingdom. The Menat Necklace is one more piece of jewelry which was associated with the goddess Hathor, priesthood, music and funerary cults. This beaded necklace was an offering to the goddess Hathor so she could protect the spirit of the deceased along with granting him a long life by destroying its enemies. Thought the exact historical significance of some of the jewelry and symbols is not clearly known by the historians their presence in the tombs makes a significant approach to the era where they belong.
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