Mummy of Djedptahiufankh

Djed-Ptah-Iuf-Ankh emerges from the shadows of history not through inscriptions on temple walls or grand monuments, but solely through his beautifully preserved burial. A high-ranking priest and dignitary, he bore titles such as “Second Prophet of Amun“, District Governor, and intriguingly, “King’s Son of Ramesses” and “King’s Son of the Lord of the Two Lands“; designations that hint at possible royal lineage, perhaps connected to the 21st or early 22nd Dynasty.

It has been suggested that he may have been the husband of Nesitanebetashru (A), daughter of the High Priest and de facto ruler Pinedjem II and his wife Neskhons. This theory arises from his burial placement beside her in the famed cache of Deir el-Bahari Tomb 320 (DB320)—a sepulchre that once safeguarded the bodies of some of Egypt’s most illustrious pharaohs, including Thutmose III, Amenhotep I, and Ramesses the Great.

Related: Mummy of Queen Nodjmet

Djed-Ptah-Iuf-Ankh’s embalmed remains were discovered untouched within this tomb, the linen bandages wrapped about him bearing dates from the 5th, 10th, and 11th regnal years of Shoshenq I; placing his death around the midpoint of that king’s rule. When Gaston Maspero unwrapped his mummy in 1886, he found it adorned with splendid jewellery: golden rings, amulets, and even a regal uraeus, the serpent emblem of kingship and divine authority.

The embalming practices of the period sought to capture not merely preservation, but presence. His eyes, remarkably lifelike, were fashioned from white stone with black irises and placed beneath delicately half-closed lids. This innovation marked a conceptual departure from older traditions in which the dead were shown in repose, as though asleep. In contrast, these crafted eyes suggest alertness, watchfulness; a funerary figure imbued with awareness, ready to engage with both the divine realm and the living who might honour him.

Summary:

Mummy of Djed-Ptah-Iuf-Ankh, the “Second Prophet of Amun”

Third Intermediate Period, 22nd Dynasty, reign of Shoshenq I, ca. 943-922 B.C.

Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 26201