During Senusret II’s 12th Dynasty (1897–1878 BC), Golden Uraeus, or Ouraeus, was a part of the Middle Kingdom. The stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra known as the “rearing cobra” (Uraeus) represents Wadjet, an extremely old essence connected to regal status and divine authority in ancient Egypt.
A snake is considered a Uraeus when it is worn over the brow of the king, head up and hood dilated, ready to attack if necessary. The Uraeus is the quintessential representation of monarchy. Over time, royal women and other people have begun to wear it as well. The solid-gold Golden Uraeus of Senusret II was in the hands of Qufti laborer Hosni Ibrahim in 1919, following a mere thirty minutes of excavation.
A follow-up “full clearance” of the rooms of the El-Lahun Pyramid at Saqqara had been agreed upon. The Golden Uraeus crown decoration was instantly visible in the turnover of the six inches of debris at the beginning of the offering chamber carved out of rock, which leads from the tomb to the south.
This Uraeus, measuring 6.7 cm, is made of hammered gold and electrum sheets and strips. The snake’s head and hood, which were inserted into the tail and coils that form the other element, are made of black granite eyes, a snake head made of deep ultramarine lapis lazuli, and a flared cobra hood with darker carnelian and amazonite inlays.
The first component’s inlays and distinct head elements are no longer present. Likely, the Uraeus hood had originally been inlaid in shades of dark blue, turquoise, and red. Egyptian blue traces imply that some of the inlays may have been made from this material.
The incredibly long tail, shallow curve appear to fit a funerary mask, but the shape is not authentic because the Uraeus was bent and then repaired. Two loops in the cobra’s rear-supporting tail serve as the connection points for mounting on the King’s Crown.
This Golden Uraeus was the only jewelry ever discovered on an entombed king before Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in 1922, and it was believed to have been bequeathed to the succeeding pharaoh.
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