Psusennes I (Pasebakhaenniut)

The silver pharaoh

Psusennes I ruled Egypt during the 21st Dynasty, an era known as the Third Intermediate Period. His reign lasted for an astonishing 46 years, making him one of the longest-ruling pharaohs in Egyptian history. Despite the fractured nature of the country during this time, with power divided between the Tanite kings in the north and the High Priests of Amun in the south, his lengthy reign provided intense political and economic stability for the northern delta.

The recycled city of Tanis

Psusennes I ruled from the city of Tanis, a capital constructed almost entirely from the dismantled remains of Pi-Ramesses, the former great capital of Ramesses II. Enormous statues, obelisks, and granite blocks were transported 30 kilometers to build Tanis. Psusennes I expanded the great mudbrick enclosure wall that surrounded the main temple precinct, firmly establishing the city as the religious and political center of the north.

A magnificent, undisturbed burial

In 1939, French archaeologist Pierre Montet discovered the tomb of Psusennes I inside the temple precinct at Tanis. Unlike the heavily guarded but completely looted tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Psusennes I's tomb had survived completely undisturbed for 3,000 years. His burial assemblage was breathtaking. He was buried inside a reused pink granite sarcophagus (originally belonging to Merneptah), which contained a stunning, solid silver anthropoid coffin.

The lunar priest-king

The choice of a solid silver coffin was a deliberate theological statement. While gold was traditionally associated with the sun and the flesh of the gods, silver was associated with the moon and the bones of the gods. As both a pharaoh and a high priest of Amun, Psusennes I embraced this lunar symbolism. Resting directly on the mummy's face was a flawless, solid gold funerary mask of equal or superior craftsmanship to that of Tutankhamun.

The tragedy of timing

Despite being one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century—and the only fully intact royal burial ever found containing a silver coffin and a golden mask of this quality—the discovery remains relatively obscure. The tomb was opened in February 1939, just months before the outbreak of World War II. The impending global conflict completely overshadowed the find, denying Psusennes I the worldwide fame he otherwise would have received.