The Pectoral of Amenemhat III is one of the most remarkable examples of ancient Egyptian jewelry from the Middle Kingdom. Belonging to Princess Mereret—daughter of King Senusret III and sister of King Amenemhat III—this exquisite piece reflects both royal power and divine protection.
The Royal Victory Scene
The pectoral bears the cartouche of Amenemhat III and depicts the king triumphantly defeating his enemies. He stands in a classic Egyptian pose familiar to anyone who has visited a temple: one hand raises a mace to smite “Asiatic” enemies from Egypt’s northeastern borders, while the other grasps the hair of a hapless warrior desperately defending himself with a throwing stick and dagger.
Divine Protection and Symbolism
Above the scene, the wings of the vulture goddess Nekhbet stretch protectively across the composition. She is identified as the “Lady of Heaven” above her wings and “Mistress of the Two Lands” below them. Nekhbet clutches a combined ankh and djed symbol over the king’s head. A living ankh sign even fans the king as he performs his heroic act—emphasizing the divine approval and protection bestowed upon him.
Materials and Discovery
Materials: Gold with inlays of carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli Dating: Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty (ca. 1878–1839 BC) Discovery: Excavated in 1894 by Jacques de Morgan in the Mortuary Complex of Senusret III at Dahshur
Current Location: Egyptian Museum, Cairo (JE 30876, CG 52003)
From Pharaoh to Busiris: Linking Egyptian Royal Imagery to Greek Myth
Scholars such as John Beazley (1910) have long noted parallels between Egyptian royal art and the Greek myth of The Killing of Busiris. In Egyptian reliefs and jewelry—like the Pectoral of Amenemhat III—the pharaoh is shown in a triumphant pose, brandishing a mace while seizing a foreign enemy by the hair. This visual schema symbolized absolute power and divine sanction, appearing consistently from Egypt’s earliest dynasties onward.
The Greek version cleverly inverts this imagery: in the Busiris myth, Heracles takes the pharaoh’s place as the victorious hero, while Busiris, a tyrant-king of Egypt, becomes the defeated figure. Ionian Greek artists and storytellers, exposed to Egyptian motifs through mercenaries, traders, and travelers during the 26th Dynasty, likely borrowed and reinterpreted these powerful scenes. By flipping the narrative, they transformed a symbol of Egyptian authority into a tale of Heracles’ strength and cunning.
The Pectoral of Amenemhat III is far more than a piece of jewelry—it’s a golden testimony to ancient Egyptian artistry, royal power, and the enduring symbols that defined a civilization.
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