Tag: mummy

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Mummy Mask (Late Period)

Mummy Mask (Late Period) at the Brooklyn Museum

Another mummy mask?! Why not!! This mask of a woman is dated to the Late Period (1st Century B.C.E). It is also a cartonnage mask, which was a very popular type of material to use because it was easy to work with and the mask could be made relatively quickly. The colors on this mask are so bright and well preserved – especially the broad collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹. I love how the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ used red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ and the blue/green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 color together π“ˆ–π“Š— a lot. I love that color combination!

I have also provided a close-up of the art on the wig that shows the goddesses Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ (left) and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇(right). Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 were sisters (which means their brothers are Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£). While Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ were also married, so were Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£. Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ are shown together quite frequently, Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£ are rarely shown together in art because Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 was considered to be a positive figure instead of negative. She is usually depicted with either just Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, or with Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­.

You can easily tell Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 apart from each other in Egyptian art based off of the crowns that they are wearing. The crowns correspond to the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that make up their names!

Isis (π“Š¨π“π“₯) wears β€œπ“Š¨β€ as a crown!
Nephthys (𓉠𓏏𓆇) wears β€œπ“‰ β€ as a crown!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Mummy Mask (Roman Period)

One of the features of Egyptian funerary practices that persisted throughout time was the mummy masks. Mummy masks first appeared during the First Intermediate Period (~2181 BCE), and were last used during the Roman Period (~395 AD). While the styles certainly changed, their purpose of protecting the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 remained the same. The function of protection is made explicit by Spell 151 from the Book of the Dead. Spell 151 also restores the ability of the dead to see through the mask. Spell 151 even appears on the back of the mask of Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“!

Mummy Mask (Roman Period) at the Brooklyn Museum

This mask is from the Roman Period, and it’s always so interesting to see the merging of the two 𓏻 different styles. The mask is made of cartonnage (kind of like paper mache) and is covered in gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf, which is typical of Ptolemaic/Roman masks. The mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is wearing a nemes π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄ style headdress, and Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 (the winged scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣) can be seen on the head 𓁢𓏺. Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓀭 is a symbol of rebirth.

What makes this mask so beautiful π“„€ are all of the small details in the gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf. The most prominent is the deceased (as a mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾) standing before 𓐍𓂋 Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. The protective cobras π“‡‹π“‚π“‚‹π“π“†˜π“ͺ also adorn the mask. Daisies/Rosettes are seen as decoration along with the Wedjat-eyes π“‚€ on each side. Both of these are also symbols of rebirth!

During Roman times, masks were mass produced in workshops so it is unlikely that this mask represents a specific person.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Corn Mummies

Corn Mummies are an interesting part of Egyptian religious practices. While millions of animal mummies have been found at sites all over Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, mummies made of grains like wheat and barley have also been found. Corn mummies are found in cemeteries and are usually dated from the Third Intermediate Period through Roman times though they first appeared during the Middle Kingdom. This particular corn mummy is from the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 B.C.E.).

Corn Mummies are meant to be a representation of the god π“ŠΉ Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Egyptologists came to this conclusion because the β€œcoffins” that contain the corn mummies almost always contain Osiris’ π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ name and his titles/epithets. Another reason Egyptologists made the connection to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was the cyclic nature of growing grains – in Egyptian religion, anything that was cyclical was related to the birth-life-death cycle humans experience.

Even though the corn mummies are dedicated to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, they are almost always found in cases with a falcon head. The falcon head is representative of the god Sokar π“Šƒπ“Ž‘π“‚‹π“…‹, who is often connected to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. Their connection goes all the way back to the Old Kingdom, and The Pyramid Texts are the one of the first instances in which they are shown to have a connection.

Sokar π“Šƒπ“Ž‘π“‚‹π“…‹ was originally thought to be the god π“ŠΉ of craftsmanship, but due to his association and worship at Memphis, he became a prominent god π“ŠΉ of the afterlife. The combination forms of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ, Sokar-Osiris (Middle Kingdom), Osiris-Sokar (New Kingdom) and the most popular Ptah-Sokar-Osiris also emphasizes this connection between the two 𓏻.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Coffin of Nephtys

This rectangular outer coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± and mummiform inner coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 belonged to a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ named Nephtys who was a mayor’s daughter (the canopic jars from yesterday’s post belonged to her too). These are dated to the Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 12 – c. 1981–1802 B.C.E.).

The rectangular outer coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± is very standard for this time period. The two 𓏻 eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 that are seen would serve as a way for the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 to be able to see into the land of the living. The head 𓁢𓏺 of the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 would have been placed directly behind these two 𓏻 eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦. Below the eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦, is the Middle Kingdom version of the false door (particularly popular in Old Kingdom tombs). The false door would allow the spirit of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 to be able to travel between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The design is sometimes referred to as the β€œpalace facade.”

The mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 of Nephtys is still preserved in in the mummiform coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾. The mask she is wearing has a gilded π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ face and is wearing a faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό broad collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹.

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! The standard offering formula is seen in the long line of text at the top of the coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†±!

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™ – β€œAn offering the king gives..”

π“Š¨π“Ήπ“Ί – β€œ…Osiris…”

π“ŽŸ – β€œ…Lord…”

π“Š½π“Š½π“…± – β€œ…of Djedu…”

π“ŠΉπ“‰» – β€œ…the Great God…”

π“ŽŸ – β€œ…Lord…”

π“Œπ“ˆ‹π“ƒ€π“…±π“Š– – β€œ…of Abydos.”

π“‚žπ“†‘π“‰“ – β€œGiven a voice offering of…”

So put together, the inscription says:

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™π“Š¨π“Ήπ“Ίπ“ŽŸπ“Š½π“Š½π“…±π“ŠΉπ“‰»π“ŽŸπ“Œπ“ˆ‹π“ƒ€π“…±π“Š–π“‚žπ“†‘π“‰“

β€œAn offering the king gives Osiris, Lord of Djedu, the Great God, Lord of Abydos, Given a voice offering of…”

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Mummiform Coffin of Harmose

This (left) mummiform coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 belonged to a singer named π“‚‹π“ˆ– Harmose who lived during the joint rule of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣(New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, c. 1479–1458 B.C.E.). While Harmose was not royal, this coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is still quite striking. The face is overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ foil while the eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 are made out of inlaid alabaster (white π“Œ‰π“†“π“‡³) and obsidian (black π“†Žπ“…“). The coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 was found in the vicinity of Senemut’s π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ during excavations funded by the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the 1935-1936 dig season.

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! By now, I’m sure those of you who have been following me for a bit can now recognize parts of the standard offering formula!

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™ – β€œAn offering the king gives…”

π“Š©π“Ή – β€œ…Osiris…” (this is a not as common variation of his name)

π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“› – β€œ…Ruler of…”

𓆖 – β€œ…Eternity…”

π“‰Όπ“ŠΉ – β€œ…The Great God”

π“ŽŸ – β€œ…Lord…”

π“Œπ“ƒ€π“ˆ‹π“Š– – β€œ…of Abydos…” (this is another variation – Abydos is more commonly written as π“Œπ“ˆ‹π“ƒ€π“…±π“Š–)

𓉓 – β€œ…A Voice Offering of…”

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Roman Period Mummy Mask

This is a mummy mask of a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ from the Roman Period of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.

The Roman Period of Egypt is characterized as being after the death of Cleopatra VII π“ˆŽπ“ƒ­π“‡‹π“―π“Šͺ𓄿𓂧𓂋𓏏𓄿𓆇, the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, in 31 B.C.E. Even though Cleopatra VII π“ˆŽπ“ƒ­π“‡‹π“―π“Šͺ𓄿𓂧𓂋𓏏𓄿𓆇 was Greek, she is considered to be the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.

My Nonno loved the Roman Period of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– because he loved Roman history too, and it was always so interesting to see the merging of the two civilizations. The merging of the civilizations also meant the merging of both Egyptian and Roman art styles, as is demonstrated by this mask. The mask is made of cartonnage and mostly overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf. The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 are inlaid with glass π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό, while the garland π“Œ΄π“„Ώπ“Ž›π“†° of flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 is painted.

My favorite detail on this mummy mask are the snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛𓏦 that are carved in raised relief on the arms 𓂝𓏦. I love snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 themed jewelry and wear snake 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆙 rings π“‚π“ˆ–π“π“‹ͺπ“₯ and bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛𓏦 myself! I think it is such a beautiful π“„€ detail on the mask! The woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ who owned this mask was most likely extremely wealthy because most mummy masks were not completely overlaid with gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf such as this one.

The eyebrows on the mask are blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ because it is supposed to be the same color as lapis lazuli 𓐍𓋴𓃀𓂧𓏧! Many of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ were thought to have blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ lapis lazuli 𓐍𓋴𓃀𓂧𓏧 hair! The blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ eyebrows could represent this woman joining the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the afterlife.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Mummy Beads

β€œThe Mummy Room” (as I called it) at the British Museum was such an incredible place to be! It was a bunch of galleries that were filled with beautifully π“„€ painted sarcophagi π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­π“¦ and mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ! When I was a kid I was never afraid of mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ(wrapped or unwrapped); I was just completely fascinated by them and I still am!

What is striking about this mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is that the beautiful π“„€ beaded shroud that covers the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is still mostly intact! In ancient times, the beaded shroud would have been placed over the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 after it had been placed in its coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†±. The pattern of the beaded shroud was supposed to be representative of the cloak that Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, god π“ŠΉ of the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐, wears.

These types of shrouds were mostly made with blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό beads because in ancient Egyptian culture, the color blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ was symbolic of rebirth and regeneration. Faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό was an extremely popular material to work with because it was both cheap and easy to use! Faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό is a quartz based material that can be molded and then heated to a very high temperature to keep its shape. Objects made of faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό were thought to hold magical powers!

Beaded shrouds on mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ were very popular during the Late Period and this one is estimated to be dated at c. 760-656 B.C.E., which is the 25th Dynasty. Beaded shrouds are very delicate and are usually found broken up, so this piece here is a beautiful π“„€ example of one.

Do you like mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ?! Let me know!!!