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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.]]> ABDUA:22118]]>