Falcon

This golden bead in the form of a falcon may have been one of many such beads strung together to create a necklace or other piece of jewelry or may have functioned as a sort of pendant. This piece represents a falcon with wings and feet outstretched, head in profile, and a body made in the shape of a cartouche. The falcon is an animal associated with the god Horus, the mythical king of Egypt who is often represented with a man's body and a falcon's head. In one Egyptian origin myth, the one relating to the establishment of the institution of kingship, the first god/king of Egypt is murdered by his jealous brother Seth, only to be avenged by his son Horus who takes the throne as the rightful king of Egypt. All Egyptian kings saw themselves as the heir to Horus and therefore imagery of the falcon was deeply tied to royal identity. This bead is unusual as it includes yet another sign of Egyptian kingship, that of the cartouche. The cartouche is a ovoid element with a horizontal line at its base. It is used in Egyptian written language to denote the name of a king and sometimes that of a queen. It derives from the Egyptian sign for shen meaning "everything" or "eternity". By enclosing the royal person's name in a cartouche, one was sure to set it apart visually from other individuals' names as well as represent the eternal nature of the king. In this bead we see two very important symbols relating to kingship that, when taken together, say much about the importance of the king in Egyptian society.