Wah's Jewelry


Funerary Broad-Collar of Wah
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, Reign of Amenemhat I, ca. 1981–1975 B.C.E.
Upper Egypt; Thebes, Southern Asasif, Tomb of Wah (MMA 1107), Mummy, in wrappings on chest, MMA 1920
Faience, linen thread, H. 34.5 cm (13 9/16 in); w. 39 cm (15 3/8 in)
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1940, MMA 40.3.2


Scarab Bracelets of Wah
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, Reign of Amenemhat I, ca. 1981–1975 B.C.E.
Upper Egypt; Thebes, Southern Asasif, Tomb of Wah (MMA 1107), Mummy, over crossed wrists, MMA 1920
Silver, gold, glazed steatite, linen cord
Rogers Fund and Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1940
One on left with hieroglyphs, an ankh (life_, ka ('soul' (aka 'life force'), and nefer (beauty):
Length including cord: 19 11/16 in. (50 cm), MMA 40.3.13
One on right:
Scarab: l. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm); w. 2.7 cm (1 1/16 in); h. 2.5 cm (1 in)
Barrel bead: l. 1.4 cm (9/16 in); diam. 1 cm (3/8 in) cylindrical bead: l. 1.9 cm (3/4 in)
MMA 40.3.12

(From the info card)
"Wah's jewelry was found on his mummy, when it was unwrapped after x-raying in 1939. The broad collar, bracelets and anklets at the top were closest to the body; the faience scarab and carnelian saweret, and the scarab bracelets in the middle were on the wrists, while the five necklaces - one of silver, one of gold, two of faience - were around or at the neck. The silver scarabs are exceptional for their scroll-work designs and for the gold-inlayed inscriptions naming Mekatra and Wah All items are displayed with the original string."

(From Museum website)
"Wah's faience broad collar (40.3.2), anklets and bracelets (40.3–.10) were made as funerary ornaments for the burial and were found in the layer of wrappings closest to the body. The broad collar is one of the finest examples of its type from the early Middle Kingdom. Although a few areas needed reinforcing with modern thread, the stringing is almost entirely original. Known as a wesekh in ancient Egyptian, this type of necklace adorns statues (30.8.57, 30.8.3), coffins (30.3.7, 25.3.182), and participants in banquet and offering scenes (13.183.3, 12.184, 28.3.35) from the Old Kingdom on."