Usekh collar

The Usekh collar, also known as a broad collar, is a distinctive piece of ancient Egyptian jewelry, typically worn by deities, men, and women of the elite class. It is characterized by its wide, collar-like shape, often made of multiple rows of beads or plaques. These collars were not just decorative but also held significant symbolic and ritualistic meaning. 

As early as the Old Kingdom (c. 2670–2195 B.C.), Egyptian artisans fashioned images of deities, kings, and mortals wearing broad collars made of molded tubular and teardrop beads. The Usekh or Wesekh is a personal ornament, a type of broad collar or necklace, familiar to many because of its presence in images of the ancient Egyptian elite. Deities, women, and men were depicted wearing this jewelry. One example can be seen on the famous gold mask of Tutankhamun. The ancient word wsẖ can mean "breadth" or "width" in the Ancient Egyptian language and so this adornment is often referred to as the broad collar.

The Usekh collar is a wide, often layered, necklace that sits around the neck and upper chest. It is typically made with rows of beads, which can be tubular, leaf-shaped, or other forms, sometimes arranged in a ladder pattern. The usekh broad collar was wrapped around and supported by the neck and shoulders. It is typically adorned with closely placed rows of colored stone beads, or it is made entirely of metal. The collars were connected with clasps of gold.

The Usekh collar represents a fascinating intersection of art, symbolism, and ritual in ancient Egyptian culture. These collars were crafted from a variety of materials, including gold, faience (a type of ceramic), semi-precious stones like carnelian and lapis lazuli, and even glass. They often featured intricate designs and could be quite elaborate, especially those worn by royalty. 

It was composed of two flat, semicircular clasps forming a large crescent moon. The weave was usually made of a network of multiple colored pearls in faience, hard stone, or precious metal. The outer edge was often adorned with pendants. A counterweight placed on the wearer's back balanced this heavy necklace.

The Usekh collar is frequently depicted in ancient Egyptian art, including tomb paintings, statues, and on objects like the famous gold mask of Tutankhamun. The Usekh collar was more than just an ornament. It was believed to offer protection, invoke the gods, and signify status and power. In some contexts, it was associated with fertility for women and virility for men. 

Since the Middle Kingdom, it was also placed on the chest of mummies, painted on cartonnages, as a form of protection, representing different symbols such as falcon heads, vultures with outstretched wings, cobras and garlands or polychrome plant motifs that would help them emerge unscathed from the underworld of Osiris.

From the Late Period of Egypt, in the Book of the Dead, formulas 157 and 158 specify the rituals that were to be performed during funerals to place the usej as protection of the deceased.

Useh was considered a symbol of protection and was mentioned in rituals of opening the mouth and ritualization of divine statues. In the Abydos Temple of Seti I in the hall of Ra-Horakhte there is an image of the pharaoh offering necklaces and pectorals to the gods. This ritual was probably part of the cult. Useh could also be likened to Atum, who embraced Shu and Tefnut to tell them his Ka. Therefore, wearing the usekha was symbolically equivalent to touching the hands of a god. Useh thus had the same meaning as the vulture with outstretched wings on the sarcophagus of Thutmose I.

From the New Kingdom onwards, usekh also appeared in the form of amulets bearing the head of a god, animal or pharaoh. However, these amulets usually depicted female deities. In some cases, divine couples were depicted, such as Onuris and Tefnut together. Such usekh are found not only with mummies, but also as links in chains, rings and earrings. Small amulets were also made for the deceased.

The representation of the heads of the gods with ousekh was already found on the banner and the prows of the stern of the divine barque to protect the cult statues that were carried out of the temples during festive processions. Thus, the aegis symbolized the divinity, and the useh was a mere ornament.

In funerary rituals, it was believed to offer protection for the deceased. Over time, the broad collar went through many different variations of form. These could be attributed to shifting mythological perspectives, or perhaps due to geographical movement across Egypt.

A scene in the Fourth Dynasty tomb of Wepemnofret at Giza connects the usekh collar with dwarfs and the deity Ptah. Bernd Scheel has argued that Ptah, who is sometimes depicted wearing the broad collar, protects the deceased through the collar and that dwarves had access to that protective magic, because of their work making these types of collars. In the Fifth Dynasty tomb chapel of Akhethotep (originally located at the Saqqara burial ground, but now in the Louvre), one scene distinguishes between two types of collars: the broad collar and the šnw or "encircling" collar.

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