Ring of Ramesses IV, ca. 1152–1145 B.C.E. Silver, Width: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.727E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.727E_SL3.jpg)
Ring of Ramesses IV, ca. 1152–1145 B.C.E. Silver, Width: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.727E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.37.727E_wwg8.jpg)
Ring of Ramesses IV, ca. 1152–1145 B.C.E. Silver, Width: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.727E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.726E_37.727E_GrpA_SL4.jpg)
Ring of Ramesses IV, ca. 1152–1145 B.C.E. Silver, Width: 7/8 in. (2.3 cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.727E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 37.726E_37.727E_GrpB_SL4.jpg)
Ring of Ramesses IV
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
All three of these rings probably belonged to nobility or other private persons, not to royalty, The small bronze signet ring has the prenomen, or throne name, of Ramesses II. The scarab ring lacks his prenomen but has an associated epithet ("Beloved Of Amun") and his nomen, or birth name (Ramesses).
On the large silver-tin alloy signet ring the prenomen of Ramesses IV appears—Hekama'at-re' ("Re Is the Ruler of Ma'at"). In the lower half are several hieroglyphs—djed("stability"), hes ("praise"), and hetep ("peace" or "satisfaction")—that probably serve a decorative or amuletic function because they do not comprise a logical text. Likewise, the semi-hemispherical nb hieroglyph at the bottom was probably employed simply because its shape conveniently fit the oval.
