Golden beads in the context of the Lower Egyptian culture

● n°25 février 2015 Gold has great power and for centuries it has been seen as a very special status marker for many societies around the world. Quite naturally, the fi rst objects made of it belonged to personal adornments, and most commonly they were shaped as beads. In Egypt, one of the earliest examples of gold items comes from the context of the Lower Egyptian culture. Beads discovered at Tell el-Farkha were analyzed in order to identify their chemical composition, details of workmanship and typical shapes, together with other known examples from a similar time and place of discovery (Kom elKhilgan, Minshat Abu Omar and Gerzeh). Interestingly, regardless of their cultural connections, all the golden beads discussed show many similarities, mostly in terms of the goldsmithing techniques. Observation and uniqueness of the fi nds lead to the conclusion that all of them could have had common origin and were found distributed over such a vast area thanks to trade exchange.