Amidst the chaos of the Second World War in Western Europe, a French archaeologist named Pierre Montet unearthed a shocking treasure in 1940 in Tanis, Egypt. The discover was on par with the legendary discovery of the intact tomb of the traditional Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, made by Howard Carter twenty years earlier. But, regardless of the magnitude of this extraordinary revelation, the information failed to create a stir amongst European society, preoccupied with the escalating battle on the continent.
A gold and lapis lazuli collar of king Psusennes I initially present in his tomb at Tanis. (John Campana / CC BY 2.0 )
Psusennes the Silver Pharaoh Turns Assumptions On Their Head
Montet’s discovery on the eve of the Second World War was that of a tomb of a comparatively obscure pharaoh of the twenty first Dynasty of historic Egypt by the title of Psusennes I. Psusennes was the third ruler of his dynasty, which ascended to energy on the onset of the Third Intermediate Period, a time of political turmoil in Egypt.
During this period, the nation’s kingship was fragmented, and the nation was divided between Upper and Lower Egypt. While the pharaohs of the twenty first Dynasty ruled from Tanis, their affect was primarily confined to the Lower Egypt delta area. Meanwhile, Thebes was the stronghold of the High Priest of Amun, who presided over Upper Egypt.
It was logically assumed that the pharaohs of the twenty first Dynasty didn’t wield a lot energy. Nevertheless, the invention of the tomb of Psusennes I overturned this assumption. The most exceptional discover within the tomb was a strong silver coffin, main to Psusennes being referred to because the Silver Pharaoh.
Silver Antropoid coffin of Psusennes I the Silver Pharaoh. (Jerzy Strzelecki / CC BY-SA 3.0 )
The Silver and Gold Treasures of Psusennes’ Tomb
In historic Egyptian tradition, gold was thought-about the flesh of the gods, whereas silver was believed to be their bones. Although gold was extra ample in historic Egypt, silver was much more beneficial because it had to be imported from Western Asia and the Mediterranean.
As such, the strong silver coffin present in Psusennes’ tomb was a testomony to his immense wealth and energy. Furthermore, the distinctive craftsmanship of the steel objects discovered contained in the tomb, together with the silver coffin, means that Psusennes additionally commanded the manpower wanted to produce such luxurious objects.
Psusennes’ silver anthropoid coffin was discovered inside a pink granite coffin, which in flip was encased inside a granite sarcophagus. Interestingly, the granite sarcophagus as soon as belonged to a nineteenth Dynasty pharaoh, Merenptah, who was the successor of Ramesses II .
The mummy of Psusennes itself had not survived the ages, and as an alternative of an intact physique Montet solely discovered a pile of bones, black mud and varied funerary objects, together with a gold mummy board and a spectacular strong gold masks which might have coated the pharaoh’s face.
The gold demise masks of Psusennes I. (Dave Nakayama / CC BY 2.0 )
Reassessing the Third Intermediate Period
The lack of preservation is unsurprising, given the atmosphere that Psusennes was buried in. Unlike the arid, desert-like atmosphere of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, a lot of Lower Egypt consisted of humid, swampy land. Tanis was definitely no exception to this rule.
Due to water seeping by the bottom, the mum of Psusennes was ruined, and many of the wood objects additionally deteriorated over time. Nonetheless, Montet was in a position to recuperate a number of non-perishable objects similar to canopic jars and shabtis, alongside valuable objects contained in the sarcophagus. These treasures have been mentioned to rival these of Tuthankhamun.
Psusennes’ distinctive energy and wealth could be attributed to his remarkably lengthy reign, recorded by Manetho to have lasted both 41 or 46 years (circa 1047 and 1001 BC). Some Egyptologists even recommend that Psusennes reigned for 51 years. Given that Psusennes reigned throughout a interval of political instability, the size of his reign is certainly spectacular.
When contemplating the wealth of the objects present in Psusennes’ tomb, alongside with the length of his reign, it seems that a reassessment of the scenario of Egypt within the Third Intermediate Period, a minimum of through the reign of Psusennes the Silver Pharaoh , is lengthy overdue.
Top picture: Silver Coffin of Psusennes I, a.okay.a. the Silver Pharaoh. Source: Aidan McRae Thomson / CC BY-SA 2.0
By Wu Mingren
