Gold Signet Ring of Neferibre

Gold signet ring of a “Priest of Isis of Khufu” Neferibre, i.e. a priest of the temple of Isis at Giza. The bezel is oval shaped with the inscribed area being slightly raised leaving an oval border. Because this ring bears a cartouche of King Khufu, it was once world famous as the actual signet ring of the builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza.

The inscription, however, shows that it really belonged to a man named Neferibre who was a priest in the cults of Isis and the deified Khufu at Giza two thousand years after Khufu died.

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.

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.

Late Period, 26th to 27th Dynasty, ca. 664-404 BC. Archaeological provenance not yet documented, possibly from Giza. Now in the Brooklyn Museum. 37.734E