The Harageh Treasure, a cache of ancient Egyptian jewellery, is to feature in a sale at Bonhams in London on October 2.
The artefacts were discovered in a tomb in an area known as Harageh on the banks of the Nile in 1913 and date to the 12th dynasty of the Middle Kingdom (circa 1897-1878 BC).
 The Harageh treasure was discovered at a site around 60 miles from Cairo |
Reginald Engelbach (1888-1946), then head of Cairo's Egyptian Museum, was responsible for the find.
It's thought the items belonged to a woman of high status. All the items are made from silver, considered the most valuable precious metal in Egypt at the time.
A total of 37 pieces make up the single lot collection, which includes necklaces and pendants. The most important piece is a silver jewel shaped to form a three dimensional bee that is unique in Middle Kingdom jewellery.
Bonhams comments: "There are no comparable assemblages of such deluxe objects known from tombs, either excavated or published, contemporary with those forming the Treasure of Harageh…
"The Treasure of Harageh can now be included within the corpus of masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art with the bee assuming primacy of place."
The collection is expected to make £80,000-120,000 ($130,000-200,000) when it crosses the block.
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