Bracelets of General Djehuty

These gold bracelets were once belonged to general Djehuty, one of them is inscribed with the prenomen cartouche of king Thutmose III.

Kind of bracelets that Egyptian kings presented to their most deserving generals and high officials. General Djehuty was famous in ancient Egyptian literature for capturing the city of Joppa on Thutmose III’s behalf by resorting to subterfuge.

Djehuty was not a fictional person. In the winter of 1824, Bernardino Drovetti found his completely undisturbed tomb at Saqqara. In these early days, Egyptian archaeology was in its infancy and only a few notes of the excavations were ever made. Today, there are only brief descriptions of the discovery preserved in archaeological records. The objects were sold to different museum collections all around the world and, in most cases, can only be ascribed with certainty to Djehuty’s tomb when they bear his name.

The objects found in the general’s tomb include a solid golden and a silver bowl, both today in the Louvre, four canopic jars now in Florence, the heart scarab, this gold bracelet in the Rijksmuseum of Leiden and Djehuty’s dagger in Darmstadt. Nothing is known about Djehuty’s coffin and mummy, although they were briefly mentioned by Drovetti.

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Thutmose III, ca. 1479-1425 BC. From the Tomb of Djehuty at Saqqara. Now in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden.