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Beads from a gold necklace
Nubian
Meroitic Period
Findspot: Sudan, Nubia, Begrawiya, Pyr. N 18
Medium/Technique
Gold
Dimensions
Legacy dimension: L 0.090
Credit Line
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession Number24.554
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsJewelry, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Necklaces and neck bands
DescriptionEight large gold elements of which seven depict human heads crowned with feathers and one a squatting female figure holding a feather and crowned with vulture and double crown. Two of these elements are thought to represent Hathor and Maat.
Burials in Meroe were richly supplied with jewelry. Pendants of deities, cylindrical amulet cases, and scarabs were common during the Napatan period. By the 3rd century B.C., craftsmen had perfected the process of enameling on metal. This method replaced the setting of colored stones in channels or cloissons. Signet rings, gilded glass beads, and images of the goddess Hathor were also popular.
Burials in Meroe were richly supplied with jewelry. Pendants of deities, cylindrical amulet cases, and scarabs were common during the Napatan period. By the 3rd century B.C., craftsmen had perfected the process of enameling on metal. This method replaced the setting of colored stones in channels or cloissons. Signet rings, gilded glass beads, and images of the goddess Hathor were also popular.
ProvenanceFrom Meroe. 1921: excavated by the Harvard University-Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA by the government of Sudan; 1924: received by the MFA.