Gold Signet Ring of Amenhotep II

Ancient Egyptian signet-ring with a rectangular bezel bearing a cartouche with the name of King Amenhotep II flanked by Nile gods (Hapi). The Egyptians primarily used signet, or seal, rings, in which a seal engraved on the bezel can be used to authenticate documents by the wearer.

Egyptian seal rings typically had the name and titles of the owner deeply sunk in hieroglyphic characters on an oblong gold bezel.

The ring was likely to have been given as a gift to one of Amenhotep’s officials and can be compared with a ring inscribed with the prenomen of Amenhotep father, King Thutmose III, known now as the ‘Ashburnham Ring’ (British Museum inv. EA71492) which formed part of the burial assemblage of General Djehuty, whose tomb was discovered in the 1820s at Saqqara.

From the predynastic through Roman times, jewelry was made, worn, offered, gifted, buried, stolen, appreciated and lost across genders, generations and classes.

Egyptians adorned themselves in a variety of embellishments including rings, earrings, bracelets, pectorals, necklaces, crowns, girdles and amulets.

New Kingdom, mid 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep II, ca. 1427-1401 BC. Now in the British Museum. EA54549