30 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The mystery of the silver bracelets of Queen Hetepheres in her celebrated tomb at Giza solved

The discovery of silver bracelets in the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I, wife of Pharaoh Snofru and mother of Pharaoh Cheops, in 1925 came as a great surprise to researchers. Nearly a century later, however, the mystery seems to have been solved.

Researchers have led the analysis of bracelets found in the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I. It is the first analysis of the collection in decades.

The bracelets discovered in the intact tomb of Queen Hetepheres I. (c. 2589-2566 BC), represent the largest and most famous collection of silver artifacts from ancient Egypt. As silver is rarely found in the Egyptian archaeological record until the Middle Bronze Age, the bracelets are a statement of royal privilege.

A new analysis of the bracelets shows that the silver used in them most likely comes from the mines of the Cyclades, a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea.

Photo: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

It is a special discovery. Because with that, the bracelets bear witness to the – as far as we know – the earliest trading activities between Egypt and Greece.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



With Egypt lacking domestic silver ore sources, experts had proposed that the Queen’s silver might have been partitioned from specific silver-rich gold ores, or it would have been imported from Byblos, in modern-day Lebanon. Still, the bracelets had not been recently analyzed, so each of these theories remained unproven.

A group of experts led by Karin Sowada (Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia) analyzed samples of corroded bracelets from the collection, which is now housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and published their findings in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

According to the article’s abstract, the team used bulk XRF, micro-XRF, SEM-EDS, X-ray diffractometry, and MC-ICP-MS to obtain elemental and mineralogical compositions and lead isotope ratios, to understand the nature and metallurgical treatment of the metal and identify the possible ore source. It was found that the pieces consist of silver with traces of copper, gold, lead, and other elements. The minerals are silver, silver chloride, and a possible trace of copper chloride.

Bracelets in restored frame. Photo: Macquarie University – Mohammedani Ibrahim August 11 1929

The source of silver (Ag) ores may be traced by examining lead (Pb) isotope ratios in the sample. Researchers actually compared the lead isotope composition of a sample, with those from a galena (PbS) database that included some 7000 localities located between the Atlantic Ocean and Iran. What came by surprise was that the lead isotope ratios are consistent with ores from the Cyclades (Aegean islands, Greece), and to a lesser extent from Lavrion (Attica, Greece), and were not partitioned from gold or electrum as previously proposed.

“Although similarities in Pb isotope composition occur in unlikely sources such as Samos and Tunisia, which are not known for Ag production,” according to the article, “the most significant ‘hits’ are from the Cyclades (Seriphos, which has more hits, Anafi, and Kea-Kythnos), and to a lesser extent from the Lavrion mines (district of Attica in central Greece).”

Historical sources tell of the import of silver in Egypt during the reign of Hetepheres’ husband, Sneferu, but the origins are not documented.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.103978

Cover photo: Egypt Museum

Related Articles

Stone Age Farmers Settled Near Dortmund Airport 7,000 Years Ago

24 August 2025

24 August 2025

Archaeological discoveries at Dortmund Airport reveal that early Neolithic farmers lived and built houses in the region nearly 7,000 years...

Remains of a Submerged Roman Harbor Discovered in Slovenia

7 March 2024

7 March 2024

Archaeologists from the Institute of Underwater Archaeology (ZAPA) have uncovered the remains of a submerged Roman harbor, off the coast...

3500-year-old Ritual Table with All Its Ceramic Dishware Found in Azerbaijan

12 July 2024

12 July 2024

A joint team of Italian and Azerbaijani archaeologists has discovered a 3500-year-old ritual table with the ceramic tableware still in...

2,000-year-old Roman Military Sandal with Nails Found in Germany

25 June 2024

25 June 2024

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 2,000-year-old Roman Military Sandal near an auxiliary Roman camp in Germany. Archaeologists from...

Polish archaeologists discovered new petroglyphs dating back to the 3rd century in Colorado

14 December 2023

14 December 2023

Archaeologists from the Jagiellonian University, southern Poland, have made a significant discovery of ancient indigenous paintings and carvings in the...

1000-year-old Cats and Babies mummies of Turkey’s

30 March 2022

30 March 2022

Cat, baby, and adult mummies in Aksaray, which took its place in history as Cappadocia’s gateway to the west on...

Ushabti figurines on display at Izmir Archeology Museum

18 September 2021

18 September 2021

The 2,700-year-old “Ushabti” statuettes, discovered in archaeological digs in western Turkey and used in Egyptian burial ceremonies, are being shown...

The first time in Anatolia, a legionnaires’ cemetery belonging to the Roman Empire unearthed

18 November 2022

18 November 2022

In the ancient city of Satala, in the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey,...

Significant Early Christian Discovery: 1,500-Year-Old Cathedral and Baptistery Unearthed Beneath Marketplace

27 August 2025

27 August 2025

In Vence, a historic town just west of Nice in southeastern France, archaeologists have uncovered one of the most significant...

Danish museum says Vikings had stained glass Windows

15 October 2023

15 October 2023

New research shows that  Viking Age windows were created using stained glass in the 9th century, contrary to popular belief...

Apocalypse Ship of the Vikings

26 April 2021

26 April 2021

Researchers discovered a stone boat made by Vikings and surprising gifts inside a cave in Iceland. Aside from the cave,...

The first Bull Geoglyph discovered in central Asia

29 September 2021

29 September 2021

Archaeologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of History of Material Culture (IIMK RAS) and LLC Krasnoyarsk Geoarchaeology discovered...

New study reveals unique characteristics and complex origins of late Bronze Age swords discovered in the Balearic Islands

25 November 2024

25 November 2024

A recent study uncovered a wealth of new information regarding the production, material makeup, and cultural significance of Late Bronze...

The Legacy of the Double-Headed Eagle: From Hittite Kings to Modern Icons

25 June 2025

25 June 2025

The double-headed eagle is one of the most enduring symbols in human history. Recognized today as an emblem of imperial...

The world’s largest Byzantine winepresses have been discovered in Israel

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

Archaeologists say they’ve discovered the world’s largest known Byzantine-era winery in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv. The...