Friday, May 14, 2010

HISTORY OF JEWELRY and ORIGIN Egyptian Jewelry II


Jewelry coloration was very important to the ancient Egyptians, and each color had a different symbolic meaning. Jewelry that featured the color green was meant to symbolize fertility and the success of new crops, while according to the Egyptian "Book of the Dead" a deceased person would wear a red-colored necklace which was meant to satisfy the God Isis' need for blood.


A jewelry item's motif was as important as its color, and no symbol was as important to the ancient Egyptians as the scarab, or dung beetle. Scarab amulets were symbolic of rebirth due to the dung beetles proclivity for rolling a piece of dung into a spherical ball, then using it as a brooding chamber from which the newborn beetle will emerge


Egyptian jewelry items included such commonly found ornamentation as bracelets, brooches, clasps, coronets, girdles, and earrings, but also included items that were unique to ancient Egypt. The pectoral, which is an ornamental item that has been found on many mummies, is an elaborate breast decoration that was suspended by chain or ribbon, and decorated to represent various dieties. There was also a unique headdress that formed a type of outer wig, flowing like waves of hair in long, flexible strands of gold beads. This was held in place by a gold diadem, which was designed to secure the wig during ceremonies. The diadem was also worn by the mummy, to protect the king's forehead in the hereafter. Even mundane household objects such as vases, plates and furniture were made of hammered gold, festooned with jewels.

Although many treasures were lost to tomb-robbers and piracy, one insignificant king's treasure remained intact and unmolested for thousands of years. That king was the now famous Pharaoh Tutankhamun, son of either Amenhotep III or Akhenaten. His short reign as Pharaoh began at age 9. Although he ruled for only 9 years (1336—1327 BC), he was able to amass a modest legacy of wealth and treasure that lives on today. Given the size and scope of Tutankhamun's wealth it is hard to imagine the vast treasure accumulated by long-reining kings such as Seti I or Ramesses II.

Courtesy: Google

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