The Dagger of Princess Ita is a ceremonial weapon that was discovered in the tomb of Princess Ita, the daughter of Amenemhat II, an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty around 1850 BC).
The dagger was found among a collection of precious jewels, including bracelets, anklets, a necklace, and the remains of a belt.
The pommel of the dagger is shaped like a light crescent of lapis lazuli, while the hilt is made of beaten gold and is inlaid with disks of lapis lazuli and green feldspar.
The disks are decorated with diagonal crosses of thin gold, and between them are curvilinear squares inlaid with light brown carnelian. The blade of the dagger is made of bronze and is mounted in the solid gold shoulder, which is attached to the hilt by three gold rivets.
Although the Dagger of Princess Ita is a finely crafted and elegant weapon, it is not strong enough to be used as a practical weapon. Instead, it is thought to have been a ceremonial object, possibly used in religious or ritual contexts.
The Dagger of Princess Ita is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where it is a valuable and well-preserved artifact from the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt.
