Everyone knows about the treasures of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. However, much less fame went to the tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I, whose riches in value and artistic merit are in no way inferior to the burial of Tutankhamun.
The tomb was discovered as a result of excavations by the French Egyptologist Pierre Monte in 1929-1951 in Tanis in the Nile Delta, among the tombs of kings of dynasties 21-22. Moreover, in their riches and luxury, the objects found in it are not only comparable, but also surpassed the treasures of Tutankhamun's tomb.
But if the collection of Tutankhamun was destined to travel half the world, admiring people of different ages and nationalities, then the gold and silver items found in Tanis are much less known. The reason why so little is known about them is the terrible events of 1939 and the war in Europe.
In February 1940, German troops were on the doorstep of France, and Monte, leaving the promising excavations of the royal necropolis, hurried home to his family, and returned to Egypt only a few years later.
And I must say, Monte's dream has come true! While excavating a necropolis in Tanis, he discovered a tomb, on the walls of which he found reliefs with the name of Pharaoh Psusennes.
Psusennes I (also Pasibhanu or Hor-Pasebhaenniut I) is the third and probably the most famous pharaoh from the XXI Dynasty who reigned in Tanis around 1047-1001 BC. The exact length of the reign of Psusennes I is unknown, since various copies of Manetho's records that have survived to our time indicate either 41 or 46 years of reign.
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"Psusennes" is the Greek version of his original name "Pasebhaenniut", which translates as "A star that appeared in the city." The throne name of this pharaoh sounds like "Acheperra Setepenamon", which means "The Great Image of Ra, the Chosen One of Amun."
And just in the burial chamber of Psusennes, on a low pedestal, archaeologists discovered a sparkling sarcophagus made of pure silver. Under the veil removed from the mummy there was a golden mask with a portrait of … Pharaoh Sheshonka, minted from one gold leaf. This is the second gold death mask found by scientists (the first was the mask of Tutankhamun). The mask looks traditional: before us is the face of a young man of 23-28 years old, a golden kite on his chest forms a kind of collar, and under it is a massive gold chain of pectorals (rectangular plates depicting religious scenes). Gold rings and bracelets on hands, caps on toes and even sandals made of pure gold also speak of the nobility and wealth of the buried. These findings alone could have provided Monte world fame,however, he decided to move further through a narrow passage with damp plaster on the walls, with water oozing between the stone blocks … Soon scientists discovered a burial chamber, more than half of which was occupied by a sarcophagus. Vessels of alabaster, porphyry, granite, four kanopas (ritual vessels), dishes and plates of gold and silver, statuettes and ushabti (magic figurines) were lying around him in disorder.
The sarcophagus was opened on February 21, 1940 in the presence of King Faroukh of Egypt, a great lover of archeology. The researchers weren't disappointed. Moreover, the body of Psusennes was buried in three sarcophagi: the first one was made of pink granite, inside of which there was another one made of black granite. And already inside the granite, in turn, there was a silver coffin - "the bones of the gods", as this metal was called in ancient Egypt. Its weight is over 90 kilograms.
A silver anthropomorphic sarcophagus, decorated with gold inserts, contained the mummy of the king. This magnificent sarcophagus was at that time an incredible luxury, in comparison with which even the treasures of Tutankhamun pale in comparison. The fact is that in the era of the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom, the cost of silver in Egypt was twice the price of gold. Then in Egypt they mined up to 40 tons of gold per year. According to scientists, this level of gold mining was achieved in Europe only in 1840. During the time of Psusennes I, the ratio of prices changed due to the acquisition and development of silver mines. But working with silver itself was considered much more difficult, there were fewer craftsmen, and the cost of their work, respectively, was higher.
The damaged face of the dead king was covered with a golden burial mask made of plates welded together and fastened with somewhat rough rivets. The thickness of the precious metal in some places reaches 0.1 millimeter, which indicates the skill of the jewelers of that time. A ritual headdress (nemes) of gold falls over the shoulders. The Tsar's Uray - a cobra reclining on the top of the pharaoh's mask - is made noticeably more skillfully than the rough and, one might say, barbarously magnificent elements on Tutankhamun's headdress. The mask is adorned with a stylized pharaoh's beard, which is, as it were, supported on both sides of the face with stripes of lapis lazuli.
Among the features of the Psusennes mask that attract the most attention, in the case of an inevitable comparison with the mask of Tutankhamun (despite the fact that they are separated by 300 years), is the glossy sheen of the metal. This is because the golden mask of Psusennes, which was made with the highest jewelry precision, was also carefully polished. Unlike the mask of Tutankhamun, it is not multi-colored, but more harmonious and aesthetic. And the monochromaticity of this work of art, characteristic of jewelry during the reign of Psusennes I, only sets off its technical and plastic perfection.
The bedspread on the Psusennes mummy was also gold with an embossed pattern. Describing the mummy of the pharaoh, the American Egyptologist Bob Brier noted: “The fingers and toes were framed in gold fingertips, and he was buried in gold sandals on his feet. Fingertips are the most sophisticated ever found, with nail art embedded in them. Each finger also had an elegant gold ring with elements of lapis lazuli or some other semi-precious stone."
In the royal necropolis, despite its modest size, poods of gold, silver, and precious stones were kept. Among the masterpieces of jewelry art are wide necklaces with pendants and pectorals made of gold inlaid with carnelian, lapis lazuli, green feldspar, and jasper. Priceless bowls made of silver and amber in the form of a flower or with floral motifs, vessels for ritual libations, golden figurines of goddesses and burial masks of pharaohs, lapis lazuli, blue turquoise.
Especially a lot of lapis lazuli was found, even more than in the tomb of Tutankhamun. But it was one of the most expensive stones in Egypt, it was delivered from the territory of modern Afghanistan. Six of Psusennes' necklaces consist of several rows of beads or small gold discs and pendants. One of the necklaces bears the inscription: "King Psusennes made a large necklace of real lapis lazuli, no king has done anything like this."
So even in those periods when the economic situation of Egypt was not at its best, the kings were buried with truly fabulous luxury! And the country at that time was really in decline. Egypt did not fight, the influx of military booty into the treasury of the pharaohs stopped. However, Psusennes was not only a pharaoh, but also the high priest of the god Amun. Holding such a position, Psusennes, apparently, did not disdain to draw wealth from the "property of the gods" and was very successful in this.
Oksana MILAEVA, Candidate of Historical Sciences