Скачать или смотреть Ancient History Jewelry Stories - The Silver Coffin Of Pharaoh Psusennes I

Not every precious artifact is made of gold- in fact, in ancient Egypt, silver was the far more valuable metal, due to its relative rarity. That makes the incredible silver coffin of Psusennes I an even grander display of power and wealth than the gold coffin of Tutankhamun.

Discovered in Tanis, Egypt, in 1940, in what is to date the only unlooted pharaohonic tomb discovered, Pharaoh Psusennes I was laid to rest in a combination of old and new sarcophagi. His outer and middle sarcophagus were "recycled," meaning they were stolen (with priestly permission) to be reused. These weren't the only example of recycling during this time period- there are examples of pieces of temples built by Ramses being repurposed to support walls inside of tombs.

His inner sarcophagus is a sumptuous construction of solid silver, a satiny anomaly in a world so rich with the buttery tones of gold. This amount of silver would have been a crazy display of wealth, a huge signifier that Psusennes was an important man, to be respected and adored.

Inside of this silver coffin, his mummy (sadly, destroyed by the ravages of humidity and time) was found wearing a golden funerary mask that is strikingly similar to the one found on Tutankhamun. The one we think might not have been made for him 👀 It bears less inlay, but is otherwise the most similar piece of ancient Egyptian art found to date.

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