Jewelry

Egyptians were often buried with their valuables so that they could bring their wealth with them into the afterlife. This trend was furthered with the mummy portraits, in which women were often depicted wearing expensive jewelry, a sign of their posthumous elitism. 

It is unclear whether every wealthy woman in Roman Egypt actually owned the similar jewelry, or if they are part of the template from which the artist works. One could imagine these pieces of jewelry were added by the artist as symbols of everlasting wealth and power in the afterlife. 


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The necklace here is made of plaster covered with gold leaf. The style of her robes, purple with gold, and the shae of the panel itself, narrower at the head and broader at the shoulders, suggest that this woman was from Antinoopolis. The knot in her robe points to this woman having been a part of the cult of Isis

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This woman is depicted with a necklace and earrings made of gold, pearl, and emeralds. Her hairdo, which has her braids up and wrappped around her head, indicates that she lived around the time of emperor Trajan (98-117 CE)

Class
Jewelry