Necklace with carnelian beads, thought to represent opium poppy flowers. Egypt, Middle Kingdom, 1980–1760 BC [3600×4000]

[Museum](https://worcester.emuseum.com/objects/35123/bottle-necklace). Necklaces composed of poppy pendants were fashionable during the late Middle through the New Kingdom. Many were made of orange-red carnelian, carved in the round, and designed with the blossom heads facing downwards. Examples with flat undersides are thought to have been part of floral broad collars. It is believed that the poppies represented on these ornaments are the opium poppy, a species domesticated in Asia Minor and introduced into Egypt during the New Kingdom. Ancient texts suggest that the plant was primarily used for medicinal purposes.