Ceremonial dagger of Ahmose I

The inscription ends in very fine decorative motifs: on one side a lion pursues a calf in a rocky landscape, followed by a row of four grasshoppers and the head of an animal. The other side shows a floral design crowned with a jackal’s head. This decoration in gold thread, like the hieroglyphs, is backed by a band of black enamel.

Made of gold, electrum, copper alloy and semi-precious stones. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Ahmose I, ca. 1550-1524 BC. From the Tomb of Queen Ahhotep, Dra’ Abu el-Naga’, West Thebes. 

Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 4666