tour 4 of 10
Jewellery
Gold pectoral
A pectoral is an ornament worn on the chest. For hundreds of
years, the ancient Egyptians placed pectorals on the chests of
wrapped mummies. Their shapes had magical powers, to help the soul
of the dead person to travel safely through the Afterlife. This
pectoral is made of gold and multicoloured glass, and is in the
shape of a falcon hovering above its prey.
A few final facts...
The falcon was associated with the sun god and with the
ba. The ba is close to what we would call the
'personality' of an individual, which was believed to stay near the
body after death.
Print and do activity
Make your own falcon pectoral
(104Kb)