Egyptian Gold
Egyptian Gold
The priceless golden treasures found
in the tomb of King Tut have simply stunned people. This was the tomb of
a relatively unknown and unimportant boy king but his tomb contained a
priceless treasure of gold. What must the golden treasure contained in
the tombs of more important Egyptian Pharaohs have looked like? Much of
the Egyptian gold treasure has been lost to the tomb robbers. But where
did all of this Egyptian gold come from?
Egyptian Gold - The
Flesh of the Gods
Egyptian Gold was believed to have a
magical potency and believed to contain significant religious
properties. Gold did not tarnish or deteriorate. But more importantly
gold shone like the sun god and was therefore credited with the powers
of the sun god. Egyptian gold was therefore referred to as the 'Flesh of
the Gods'.
Where did the Egyptian Gold
come from?
The golden treasures of the Ancient
Egyptians is legendary but where did the supply of Egyptian gold come
from? The Ancient Egyptians had access to the richest of all the
gold supplies in the Ancient World. The two major sources of Egyptian
gold were found in Nubia to the South and in the Eastern desert.
How was Egyptian Gold
obtained?
The Egyptian Gold was obtained by crushing the white quartz rock which
was found in the desert and also panned from silt found in the river
beds. The nuggets and precious particles of gold were then stored in
linen bags and transported by donkey trains back to the Nile Valley of
Egypt.
The Owners
The majority of the precious metal
was claimed by the Pharaohs and the priests. The skills of the Ancient
Egyptian goldsmiths transformed the gold into fabulous treasures which
were destined for the palaces or the temples.
The Uses
Gold leaf was created, which was
paper thin, and this was used to cover the furniture and tombs of the
Pharoahs and also to cover the statues of the gods. Golden jewelry was
favored by Ancient Egyptians, men and women alike. The precious metal
was used in amulets, necklaces, bracelets, rings, head jewelry and
anklets. Because of their religious customs and beliefs their golden
jewelry was buried with them.
The Gold Treasures
of King Tut
The Tutankhamen Sarcophagus was made of yellow quartzite
which was covered with gold leaf.
It contained three gold coffins nested within each other, like Russian
dolls. Inside the final coffin was the mummy of the Pharaoh
Tutankhamen - King Tut. This final
coffin was made entirely of gold and contained the mummy of the boy
pharaoh wearing a solid gold death mask which was inlaid with jewels.
Numerous pieces of golden jewelry including amulets, necklaces,
bracelets, rings, head jewelry and anklets were also found surrounding
the mummy of King Tut.
Egyptian Gold
Each section of this Ancient Egyptian website addresses all topics and
provides interesting facts and information about the Golden Age of
Pharaohs and of Egypt. The Sitemap provides full details
of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject
of the Ancient Egyptians!
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