An intriguing piece of an ancient necklace adorned with the likeness of King Tutankhamun has unveiled age-old rituals that helped solidify ties among the elite. This artifact, housed in the Myers Collection at Eton College in the UK, portrays the youthful monarch partaking from a white lotus cup. He is depicted wearing a blue crown topped with a cobra, complemented by a wide necklace, bracelets, armbands, and an intricately pleated kilt.

Mike Tritsch, a doctoral candidate specializing in Egyptology at Yale University, recently shared his insights on this artifact. He emphasized that this piece was far more than mere decoration; it was a strategic tool used to exert control.

Tritsch’s analysis involved comparing this necklace’s iconography with similar imagery found in various ancient Egyptian sources. These included the tombs of high-ranking officials, intricately carved stone slabs, and items from Tutankhamun’s tomb, such as a small golden shrine and throne. These comparisons helped him interpret the artifact’s scene.

His findings suggest that this necklace, known as a broad collar, served as a deliberate royal gift. It was designed to ‘cement loyalty,’ allowing influential officials to don a symbol that visibly demonstrated their allegiance to the king.

His research showed that the necklace, known as a broad collar, was a calculated royal gift meant to ‘cement loyalty,’ enabling powerful officials to wear a symbol that broadcast their dependence on the king. 

Imagery of rebirth, fertility and divine blessing was also identified, suggesting the collar was likely a subtle reminder of who held real power, and a way for Tutankhamun’s court to bind its elites through religion, prestige and obligation. 

Tritsch added that such collars were probably handed out at elite banquets, where receiving one served as both royal endorsement and divine approval, reinforcing Egypt’s strict social hierarchy.

‘With significant symbolic meaning … broad collars can assume a cultic function … the textual appearance of broad collars indicates their purpose in ennobling, rejuvenating, and sometimes deifying the wearer,’ Tritsch wrote in the study.

The artifact, labeled ECM 1887, depicts King Tut drinking from a white lotus cup while wearing a blue crown with a cobra on it, a wide necklace, bracelets, armbands and a detailed pleated kilt

Pictured is a complete broad collar found in Tutankhamun’s tomb

Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt, in November 1922 by a British archaeologist named Howard Carter.  

The fragment, labeled ECM 1887, was not found in the king’s tomb but was purchased on the antiquities market during the late 1800s by an Eton College graduate, who donated it to the university in his will.

The artifact was purchased on the antiquities market during the late 1800s by an Eton College graduate, who donated it to the university in his will.

ECM 1887, featuring several small holes for string, which secured the entire piece to the collar, is made of sand, flint or crushed quartz pebbles, which were molded into the shape and glazed.

In the study, which has not been peer-reviewed, Tritsch explained each piece of the image, starting with the blue crown.

‘The symbolism associated with the blue crown centres on rebirth and fertility, the prevailing themes on ECM 1887,’ he wrote.

‘This is attributed to kings often being portrayed suckling deities while wearing this crown.’

He highlighted the crown shown in a golden shrine featuring Tutankhamun, which scholars have argued has ‘strong erotic symbolism that aids in rebirth.’

The fragment, labeled ECM 1887, features several small holes for string, which secured the entire piece to the collar

The researchers highlighted the crown shown in a golden shrine (pictured in black and white) featuring Tutankhamun, which scholars have argued has ‘strong erotic symbolism that aids in rebirth

‘Moreover, the crown was commonly worn during rebirth rituals, as seen in the Opening of the Mouth ritual illustrated in Tutankhamun’s tomb.’

The white lotus chalice depicted on ECM 1887, according to the study, symbolizes procreation and new life, linked to the lotus flower. 

Its rounded fluted shape differentiates it from the slender blue lotus chalice and reflects its ceremonial use, particularly during the Amarna Period for official drinking functions. 

Outside the royal court, it played a role in cultic offerings to deities like Hathor, emphasizing rebirth and fertility, according to the study.

The chalice’s form and symbolism also connect to romantic and sexual imagery, highlighting Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun’s creative and procreative potential. 

Pictured is the mummied head of Tutankhamun

Pictured is the golden burial mask of King Tutankhamun is displayed during the first day for visitors after the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt this month

Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered one of the most lavish to be discovered in history, filled with precious objects to aid the young Pharaoh on his voyage to the afterlife

The researcher determined that the act of drinking carries strong sexual and procreative symbolism, particularly within the context of banquets where lotus flowers were held and drinks poured by women, linking to ancient Egyptian wordplay equating pouring with impregnation. 

Tutankhamun drinking from the chalice, likely poured by Ankhesenamun, the king’s wife, symbolizes their sexual union and his royal duty to produce heirs. 

This ritual act also mirrors the Heliopolitan creation myth, where the god Atum generated life through a symbolic act of masturbation and drinking, connecting male and female forces in creation. 

By holding the chalice to his lips, Tutankhamun enacts a parallel to Atum, emphasizing fertility, creative potential, and the perpetuation of life, according to the study.

Tritsch explained that it was common to hand out gifts, including broad collars such as the one incorporating ECM 1887, at feasts.

‘At these banquets, classified as ‘diacritical feasts,’ the underlying goal was to arrange and strengthen social relationships,’ he said.

Pictured is a colorized version of a photograph of Tutankhamun’s inner, solid gold coffin, lying within the middle coffin, along with Howard Carter who discovered the tomb

‘This was accomplished by promoting segregation of elite groups and carefully curating the allocation of food, drink, and other special luxury items, which created an institutionalization of inequality.’ 

Tutankhamun’s tomb is considered one of the most lavish to be discovered in history, filled with precious objects to aid the young Pharaoh on his voyage to the afterlife.

The trove of grave goods included 5,000 items, including solid gold funeral shoes, statues, games and strange animals.

The boy king, an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, and ruled between 1332 BC and 1323 BC, was the son of Akhenaten and took to the throne at the age of nine or ten.

When Tutankhamun became king, he married his half-sister, Ankhesenamun.

He died at around the age of 18, and his cause of death is unknown.

The young king, however, was plagued with health issues due to his parents being brother and sister.