mummy human Ta.Khar

Title

mummy human Ta.Khar

Identifier

Description

Mummy of lady of the house Ta-Khar, daughter of Tha-en-meh, wrapped in brown linen. Originally in both an inner and outer coffin, displayed here in inner coffin, with lid. The mummy was probably found at Qft or Luxor, and came to Marischal College in the 17th century, via al Quseir (Cosseir) and Bombay.

Date

Early: -310 Late: 150, Period: Ptolemaic

Format

L(inner coffin): 1675 mm L(mummy): 1445 mm

Coverage

Africa Egypt

Creator

Forbes,C Sir

Relation

linen human.remains wood sycamore.wood gesso calcium.carbonate papyrus

Abstract

1821. A fine Egyptian mummy presented by Sir C Forbes. The mummy has a double coffin, & came from Cosseir to Bombay, & thence to England.

In Egypt from the Pre-Dynastic period in the 4th millenium BC until the 1st millenium AD it was normal for bodies to be mummified before burial, to accord with beliefs about the well-being of the deceased after death. The technique was developed from early desiccation and wrapping to more elaborate embalming procedures and removal of the viscera, accompanied by the development of coffins of decorated wood and, later, cartonnage, a moulded mixture of plaster and linen. This mummy, in its inner coffin, is of an adult female of middle to old age, known to be named Ta-khar, the daughter of Tha-en-meh(?). The mummy is wrapped in brown linen. Mummy cloths of linen decorated with turquoise and white painted designs were laid on the chest and on her side. The X-ray of the mummy shows most of her teeth are missing and there is arthritic growth on the spine, both indicating her advanced age. The viscera appear to have been removed and put in a package placed between the legs. The mummified body was originally enclosed in two mummiform coffins, an inner and an outer coffin both of sycamore wood. Both coffins have been decorated with figures, hieroglyphs and friezes of coloured rectangles. The paint is red, green, black and white. The raised face and hair have been depicted and painted in a stylized way. The mummy and coffins date from the Ptolemaic period between 300BC and 150AD, when there was Greek and Roman rule in Egypt. The age of the deceased is not evident from her depiction on the coffin.

UUID

f3a8ddc6-36fc-440c-b1b3-52a0498c3e91

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