Amid the chaos of World War II in Western Europe, a French archaeologist named Pierre Montet unearthed a stunning treasure in 1940 in Tanis, Egypt. This discovery was on par with the legendary discovery of the intact tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, made by Howard Carter two decades earlier. However, despite the significance of this extraordinary revelation, the news failed to create a stir in European society, which was preoccupied with the escalating conflict on the continent.
A gold and lapis lazuli necklace of King Psusennes that I first found in his tomb at Tanis. (John Campana / CC BY 2.0 )
Psusennes, the silver Pharaoh turns assumptions on their heads
Montet’s discovery on the eve of World War II was the tomb of a relatively obscure pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty of ancient Egypt named Psusennes I. Psusennes was the third ruler of the dynasty of him, who came to power in the first place. of the Third Intermediate Period, a period of political turmoil in Egypt.
During this era, the country’s kingship was divided and the country was divided between Upper and Lower Egypt. While the pharaohs of the 21st Dynasty ruled from Tanis, their influence was largely limited to the Delta region of Lower Egypt. Meanwhile, Thebes was the stronghold of High Priest Amun, who ruled Upper Egypt.
Logically, one would expect that the pharaohs of the 21st Dynasty did not hold much power. However, the discovery of the tomb of Psusennes I overturned this assumption. The most notable find in the tomb was a solid silver coffin, which led to Psusennes being called the Silver Pharaoh.
The silver Antropoid coffin of Psusennes I, the Silver Pharaoh. (Jerzy Strzelecki / CC BY-SA 3.0 )
The gold and silver treasure of the Psusennes tomb
In ancient Egyptian culture, gold was considered the flesh of the gods, and silver was considered their bones. Although gold was more abundant in ancient Egypt, silver was even more valuable because it had to be imported from Western Asia and the Mediterranean.
Thus, the solid silver coffin found in Psusennes’s tomb is a testament to his great wealth and power. Furthermore, the exceptional craftsmanship of the metal objects found inside the tomb, including the silver sarcophagus, suggests that Psusennes also commanded the human resources needed to produce far-fetched items. slag like that.
The silver figure sarcophagus of Psusennes was found in a pink granite sarcophagus, which was later encased in a granite sarcophagus. Interestingly, the granite sarcophagus once belonged to the pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty, Merenptah, successor of Ramesses II.
The mummy of Psusennes itself had not survived the ages, and instead of an intact body, Montet found only a pile of bones, black dust, and various funerary items, including a mortuary plaque. embalmed in gold and a spectacular solid gold mask that would have covered the pharaoh’s face.
Golden Death Mask of Psusennes I. (Dave Nakayama / CC BY 2.0 )
Re-evaluating the Third Transition Period
The lack of preservation is not surprising, given the environment in which Psusennes was buried. Unlike the arid, desert environment of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, much of Lower Egypt consisted of wet marshland. Tanis is certainly no exception to this rule.
Because water seeped through the ground, the Psusennes mummy was destroyed and most of the wooden items also degraded over time. However, Montet was able to recover a number of non-perishable items such as canopic jars and shabtis, along with the precious objects inside the coffin. These treasures are said to rival Tuthankhamun.
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Psusennes’ exceptional power and wealth may have been due to his remarkably long reign, recorded by Manetho as lasting 41 or 46 years (c. 1047 and 1001 BC). Some Egyptologists even claim that Psusennes reigned for 51 years. Given that Psusennes ruled during a time of political instability, the length of his reign is truly impressive.
When considering the wealth of objects found in Psusennes’s tomb, along with the length of his reign, it appears that a reassessment of the situation of Egypt during the Third Intermediate Period, at least especially the reign of Psusennes, the Silver Pharaoh, was very long. out of date.
Top image: The silver coffin of Psusennes I, also known as the Silver Pharaoh. Source: Aidan McRae Thomson / CC BY-SA 2.0
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