A treasure of ornate gold jewelry delicately placed on the remains of a young woman who died 3,500 years ago has been unearthed in an ancient Egyptian city built by King Tutankhamun’s father.
Archaeologists found the woman, wrapped in textile and plant-fiber matting, wearing a necklace with raindrop-shaped pendants, three wrings and soapstone.
She was buried in the Tombs of the Nobles at Amarna, a cemetery designed for courtiers and elites of the city formally known as Akhetaten, which suggests she was a woman of power.
The rings feature engravings – one is of the deity Bes, the god of fertility and the other two are inscribed with a phrase in hieroglyphics that translates into ‘lady of the two lands.’ Researchers believe this refers to the upper and lower kingdoms of ancient Egypt.
Akhetaten was built around 1348 BC by the young king’s father to establish a different religion that was not practiced among most Egyptians at the time.
The jewelry was found on the remains of a young woman who died in ancient Egypt 3,500 years ago. The treasures, including this necklace, are well-preserved
The necklace features 56 small pendants connected to what could be a strong fiber or a string-like structure that is also made of gold.
The three rings show skilled craftsmanship, with one bearing an image of Bes, which is believed to be the deity of music, merriment and childbirth.
This imagery was recently found on a pair of mummified remains in Egypt as tattoos on the women’s lower back.
Archaeologists working on this research believe the tattoos were done to protect women and their children during labor.
Another ring has gold wrapped around it that connects to another pendant, but thousands of years of the elements and the image has worn away.
The third ring still features a colorful pendant of what appears to be a bird standing on a pedestal.
The young woman was placed among several burial shafts, tombs, and pit graves dating to the 18th dynasty (1550–1292 BCE).
Dr Anna Stevens, from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, said: ‘Her burial is located at the Amarna North Desert Cemetery in the low desert west of the North Tombs.
‘It includes a small number of burial shafts, tombs, and pit graves.’
The Amarna project has been researching the necropolis of Amarna since 2005.
Akhetaten was the capital city of the late Eighteenth Dynasty and created by Egypt’s heretic king, Akhetaten, for his revolutionary religion that was worshiped during the Aten.
Akhetaten was also the father of the famous boy king, Tutankhamun.
Akhenaten married one of his sisters, who gave birth to their son, but as a result of the incestuous relationship, Tutankhamun was born with numerous health issues that experts believe led to an early death.
When Akhenaten came into power, he abandoned Egypt’s traditional worship of many deities to monotheism and only paid homage to a sun disc called Aten.
The shift was not widely accepted in ancient Egypt, as their entire culture focused on many gods.
The three rings show skilled craftsmanship, with one bearing an image of Bes, which is believed to be the deity of music, merriment and childbirth
Another ring has gold wrapped around it that connects to another pendant, but thousands of years of the elements and the image has worn away
When Akhenaten died, the people dismantled and hid monuments of the late Pharaoh and his name was erased from the list of rulers.
However, the previous polytheistic religion was reestablished once Akhenaten’s son, Tutankhamun, took the throne.
Tut began his reign at eight or nine and ruled for about nine years.
However, the young king was plagued with health issues due to his parents being brother and sister.
Akhetaten was the capital city of the late Eighteenth Dynasty and created by Egypt’s heretic king, Akhetaten (pictured), for his revolutionary religion that was worshiped during the Aten
The third ring still features a colorful pendant of what appears to be a bird standing on a pedestal
Akhetaten was also the father of the famous boy king, Tutankhamun. Pictured is an iconic image showing Howard Carter investigating Tut’s sarcophagus
King Tut had buck teeth, a club foot and girlish hips, according to the most detailed examination of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s remains.
And rather than being a boy king with a love of chariot racing, Tut relied on walking sticks to get around during his rule in the 14th century BC.
Scientists believe that his physical impairments were triggered by hormonal imbalances. His family history could also be behind his premature death in his late teens.
Various myths suggest he was murdered or was involved in a chariot crash after fractures were found in his skull and other parts of his skeleton.
Evidence of King Tut’s physical limitations was backed up by 130 used walking canes found in his tomb.
Researchers speculate that Tutankhamun broke his leg and died from the infection that followed shortly after.
