\paperw4260 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 The Egyptians were very fond of jewelry: portraits of kings and queens often show them decked out in heavy ornaments.\par
The most el
egant jewelry is decorated with appliquΘs in relief, like this gold ring, which comes from Saqqarah.\par
It has a refined embossed decoration on the setting that must originally have been filled with inserts of glass paste or semiprecious stones.\par
T
wo small figures of horses in full relief are fixed on top.\par
A semicircular element that may have served as the mounting for another appliquΘ, now lost, is set in the front.\par
This piece of jewelry is thought to date from the reign of Rameses II.
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This celebrated pharaoh defeated the Hittites at the battle of Kadesh in 1275 BC.\par
The annals record that RamesesÆs chariot was drawn by two valiant horses.\par
So the ring may reflect the fame won by the two animals that had assisted the king