The Gold of Honour in New Kingdom Egypt

The "Gold of Honour" is a prestigious reward, mainly in the form of gold collars, which ancient Egyptian officials received from their king. The study analyses the archaeological, iconographic and inscriptional evidence for the reward in the New Kingdom. It explores the reasons why the officials were honoured and how the kings distributed their favours. The Gold of Honour emerges as a status symbol of king-centred, as opposed to role-based, ranking in society.