Bracelet of Queen Ahhotep I

This bracelet of Queen Ahhotep I is formed with two semicircles. Gold and lapis-lazuli were used to create its beautiful two-color decoration.

The right semicircle depicts Geb, the god of earth, wearing the double crown and seated on the throne. His hands rest on a sign of protection that is on the shoulder and arm of the king kneeling before him.

The other half of the bracelet is engraved with a falcon and a jackal-headed figure representing the Souls of Pe and Nekhen, the mythical ancestors of the rulers of Egypt before unification. Kneeling, their arms are raised in the henu position, typically used in ceremonies and celebrations.

Most of the objects found in the tomb of Queen Ahhotep bear the names of her sons, Kamose and Ahmose, the kings that chased the Hyksos out of the country. The queen played a major role during the war of liberation as testified by the many objects that her sons donated to her grave goods. Some of those gifts were weapons, unusual for a woman’s tomb.

Second Intermediate Period, 17th Dynasty, ca. 1560-1530 BC. Height 3.4 cm, diameter 5.5 cm. From Dra’ Abu el-Naga’, West Thebes. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 4684