In 1177 BCE, the Mediterranean world experienced a major upheaval. In his fascinating book, 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, historian and archaeologist Eric H. Cline describes how a cascade of catastrophes—invasions by the Sea Peoples, earthquakes, droughts, and economic collapse—ended the Bronze Age and disrupted the great civilizations of the time, from the Hittite kingdom to Egypt. The following centuries were marked by periods of turmoil and reorganization, but also by Egypt's resilience, which managed to rise from the ashes. It is in this context, after these tumultuous decades, that the story of Psusennes I, a pharaoh of the 21st Dynasty, unfolds. Ruling after an era of collapse is no easy task, but this sovereign managed to restore a semblance of stability in an Egypt divided between religious power in Thebes and political power in the north. His reign, though less dazzling than that of the great builders of the New Kingdom, testifies to ancient Egypt's incredible ability to adapt and endure.
Psusennes I, or Pasebakhaenniut I, reigned over Egypt between approximately 1039 and 991 BCE, during a transitional period when the country, still marked by the collapse of the great Bronze Age civilizations, was divided between the north and the south. Unlike the conquering pharaohs of the New Kingdom, Psusennes adopted a policy of conciliation. From Tanis, his capital in the Nile Delta, he forged strategic alliances with the priests of Amun in Thebes, notably through political marriages. His daughter married a high priest of Amun, thus pacifying relations between the two power centers. Although his reign is not marked by grand monuments, Psusennes compensated for this architectural modesty with extraordinary richness in his funerary rites. The splendor found in his tomb testifies to his prosperity and the importance he attached to his journey to the afterlife. The silver, gold, and precious stones surrounding his body also reflect commercial exchanges with the Levant, illustrating an Egypt still connected to the Mediterranean world despite a loss of regional dominance.
Unlike the Valley of the Kings, where most of the great pharaonic tombs were found, Psusennes I was buried in Tanis, a city in the Nile Delta. This region, far from the traditional high places of Egyptian royalty, served as the capital of the 21st Dynasty. Psusennes, a pharaoh with a long and stable reign, ruled Egypt between 1039 and 991 BCE. His kingdom, though marked by tensions between the north and the south, was preserved from the collapse and instability that followed the fall of the New Kingdom. In 1929, Pierre Montet, passionate about Egypt and eager to explore the buried secrets of forgotten dynasties, decided to excavate at Tanis, convinced he could find significant traces of history there. After several unsuccessful campaigns, luck turned in his favor in 1939. The soil of Tanis, long spared by tomb robbers, concealed a priceless treasure.
On February 20, 1939, Montet and his team unearthed an imposing granite tomb. After carefully clearing the debris blocking the entrance, they found themselves facing a stunning spectacle: the tomb had never been violated. Unlike so many other royal sepulchers, Psusennes' had escaped the plunderers. This inviolability already hinted at the richness of the contents to come. The first burial chamber revealed massive sarcophagi, carefully nested within each other. But inside the last one, a true wonder awaited Montet. Psusennes lay in a coffin made of solid silver, a rare and precious metal in Egypt, often more costly than gold at the time. On his face, a funeral mask of striking beauty, made of gold and lapis lazuli, seemed to have been watching for millennia.
As the archaeologists progressed in their excavation and clearing work, the richness and magnificence of Psusennes' treasure were revealed. Pectorals adorned with precious stones, gold bracelets, scarab-shaped necklaces—each object seemed more sumptuous than the last. The pharaoh's crown, found nearby, symbolized his divine power with its uraeus motifs, symbols of royalty and divine protection. Psusennes' death mask, though unknown to the general public, rivaled that of Tutankhamun in beauty. Made of beaten gold and set with precious stones, it delicately covered the features of this enigmatic sovereign. The intensity of the mask's gaze seemed to transcend the ages, defying the millennia. But the most astonishing element of this treasure, which amazed the archaeologists, was the impressive amount of silver funerary furniture. Silver, much rarer than gold in Egypt, had been used abundantly here to craft coffins, vases, and ritual objects. This discovery provided a new perspective on the resources and commercial exchanges during Psusennes' reign, particularly with the Levant, from where this precious silver likely originated.
The discovery of Psusennes' tomb was overshadowed by the impending world war, and despite the magnificence of the exhumed objects, it never achieved the same notoriety as Tutankhamun's. Yet, Psusennes' treasure is one of the richest ever discovered in Egypt. In 1940, as Europe sank into chaos, Pierre Montet continued his excavations despite the difficulties and shortages. His courage and perseverance gave the world one of the most precious treasures in the history of archaeology. Today, the objects discovered in Psusennes' tomb are exhibited at the Cairo Museum, reminding visitors that ancient Egypt is full of mysteries and forever fascinating treasures.
Despite this exceptional discovery, Psusennes I remains a mysterious pharaoh. His military accomplishments are little known, and his reign seems to have unfolded in relative discretion. The absence of great monuments in his name throughout Egypt, except for a few constructions in Tanis, has contributed to this obscurity. Yet, archaeologists and historians continue to piece together the puzzle of his era. The treasure of his tomb, far more than inert objects, tells a story: that of a king who navigated troubled times, sought to ensure his immortality through unparalleled splendor, and whose imprint, though discreet, endures today in the gold and silver he left behind.
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