Pectoral of Psusennes I

The pectoral of Psusennes I is framed by alternating precious stones, topped by a cavetto cornice, and with a row of alternating djed pillar and tit (Isis knot) symbols at the bottom, below a row of sun-discs.

A winged scarab can be seen in the middle, and a cartouche of the king above and below, with the uppermost cartouche surmounted by a winged sun-disc. A uraei or rearing cobras also emerge from the sun. On either side of the scarab’s wings can be seen crouching goddesses Isis and Nephthys.

Psusennes I was one of three late period kings (21st-22nd Dynasties) whose burials were found more or less intact at the site of the ancient city of Tanis to the north-east of Egypt’s Delta region. The country was divided during these reigns and the burials were nowhere near as rich as the more famous ‘intact’ burial of Tutankhamun, but nonetheless yielded some spectacular finds.

Psusennes I along with his successor Amenemope were buried in chambers beneath the paving of the temple of Amun in Tanis, where they lay forgotten until their rediscovery by Pierre Montet in 1939. Montet’s discovery was the greatest find in Egypt since Tutankhamun, but its excavation on the eve of war in 1939-40 meant the find never received the attention it deserved.

Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1047-1001 BC. Gold, carnelian, lapis lazuli, feldspar and red jasper. From the Tomb of Psusennes I at Tanis. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 85791 – JE 85795 – JE 85796