Necklace Spacers (Facsimiles)

Reproductions in gold alloy (90% gold 10% silver) of three trapezoid-shaped gold spacer beads from a collar. Inscribed on both faces in Egyptian hieroglyphs, with no two inscriptions alike. Two are inscribed for King Aramatalqo and the other for King Malonaqen. Each are perforated through the width with seven holes for stringing. They were discovered by John Garstang at Meroë (site no. 294) during his 1909-1910 excavation season; found within a ceramic jar filled with gold dust and nuggets, broken glass and beads, a scarab, a flat scarab seal, and three money rings. Garstang described them in his second interim report: “The jewels of gold were pyramidal in form though not tapering to an apex. They are inscribed in Egyptian hieroglyphs and bear the name of two kings, Uaz-ka-Ra (Hor-matleq) and Mal-neqen. These, from the association of other inscriptions, are known to belong to the period of Aspalut, the builder of the Solar Temple, and their date, as Professor Sayce shows, must be the 8th or 7th century BC" (1912, pp. 49-50). John Garstang had reproductions of the spacer beads made, some made from the gold dust and nuggets found with the originals. Two of the originals are within the Sudan National Museum Khartoum (00511) and the other is within the Brooklyn Museum (no. 49.29). World Museum has some of the gold dust and nuggets and one of the gold ‘money rings’ found in the same archaeological context (accession no. 49.47.1000). Previously assumed to have been part of John Garstang's collection purchased in 1949 but these three spacers are actually from the bequest of Col. John Raymond Danson.