Ca. 664-30 BC. Late Period - Ptolemaic Dynasty. A necklace made of restrung glazed beads with a faience amulet of a heart as its pendant. The beads are a range of colours, and a mix of short round beads and long cylindrical ones. Necklace strings do not survive from antiquity as they degrade over the millennia, but the beads can be found (typically in tombs as funerary goods) and restrung. The placement of fine jewellery in tombs allowed the deceased to continue their lavish lifestyle in the next life. The heart played an important part in Egyptian funerary religion, as it was weighed against the Feather of Truth to test if the deceased's heart was true while they confessed their lack of sins in the so-called 'negative confession', indicating whether they deserved paradise or damnation. Many spells and objects were placed in tombs to convince the heart not to betray its owner in this trial, and this amulet probably held a similar function. Size: L:285mm / W:mm ; 8g. Provenance: From the collection of a gentleman based in London; formerly in an old British collection; acquired in the 1980s.