| Great quantities of gold streamed into Egypt from Nubian mines, particularly in the wake of the conquests of Thutmose III. Indeed, the precious metal was said to be “as common as dust.” For royalty, to be covered in gold, in funeral masks, for example, was to share in gold’s divine qualities: the flesh of the gods was thought to be gold. The scarabs, or beetles pictured here, along with the flies, rosettes, hands, and other motifs, each had significance for Egyptians, who wore jewelry as much for purposes of display as for fending off potential harm. These ornaments date mainly from the second century B.C.
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