Egyptian-British archaeologists unearth gold jewellery in Amarna

Find comprises three rings and one necklace

An Egyptian-English archaeological mission unearthed a collection of gold jewellery at Tel Al Amarna, a pharaonic city south of Egypt. Photo: Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities

Archaeologists in an Egyptian-British mission 200 kilometres south of Cairo have unearthed a collection of gold jewellery in the ancient city of Amarna.

The find comprised three rings, one decorated with a depiction of the ancient Egyptian god Bes and two inscribed with a phrase in hieroglyphics that translates into “lady of the two lands”, presumably referring to Egypt’s lower and upper kingdoms.

The British contingent of the team, which is made up of archaeologists from the University of Cambridge, has been operating in Amarna since the 1980s, its deputy leader Dr Anna Steven said.

She said a number of artefacts had been discovered and extensive restoration work conducted on various relics in the area.

Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said the Egyptian side of the mission has been working in Amarna since 2010. Their focus was studying the socioeconomic conditions in the ancient city and outlining the most common types of food eaten by its inhabitants and diseases which were once rife, the council said.

Amarna, the ancient city in which the items were found, became Egypt’s capital during the reign of King Akhenaten, a prominent 18th dynasty pharaoh known for his extensive efforts to convert the country's ancient polytheistic religious tradition to a monotheistic one centred around Aten, the sun disc symbol, which was worshipped by some ancient cultures.

Akhenaten, Tutankhamun's father, moved the kingdom’s capital from Thebes to Amarna in 1343 BCE.

The city today houses a number of temples dedicated to Aten and several royal residences that continue to draw large numbers of visitors.

Amarna also has 25 cemeteries carved into the rock of its eastern mountain, believed to be where senior statesmen and priests were buried during Akhenaten’s reign.

A royal cemetery 15km east of the city was modelled on Luxor’s Valley of the Kings in the heart of a mountainous region.