Analyses of queen Hetepheres’ bracelets from her celebrated tomb in Giza reveals new information on silver, metallurgy and trade in Old Kingdom Egypt, c. 2600 BC

Egypt has no domestic silver ore sources and is rarely found in the Egyptian archaeological record until Middle Bronze Age. Bracelets tomb of queen Hetepheres I, mother pyramid builder king Khufu (date reign c. 2589–2566 BC), form largest most famous collection artefacts from early Egypt, but they have not been analysed for decades. We samples Museum Fine Arts, Boston using bulk XRF, micro-XRF, SEM-EDS, X-ray diffractometry MC-ICP-MS to obtain elemental mineralogical compositions lead isotope ratios, understand nature metallurgical treatment metal identify possible source. that pieces consist with trace copper, gold, other elements. The minerals are silver, chloride a copper chloride. Surprisingly, ratios consistent ores Cyclades (Aegean islands, Greece), lesser extent Lavrion (Attica, partitioned gold or electrum as previously surmised. Sources Anatolia (Western Asia) can be excluded high degree confidence. Imaging cross-section bracelet fragment reveals was repeatedly annealed cold-hammered during creation artefacts. results provide new information about sources, commodity exchange networks metallurgy Early