Mummy of Queen Henuttawy

The mummy of Queen Henuttawy was found in the Deir el-Bahari Royal Cachette (TT320). She was the wife of Pinedjem I of the 21st Dynasty. The whole body of mummy of Queen Henuttawy was colored in yellow, while the cheeks and lips were painted red to improve her appearance.

The head is adorned with an artificial wig made of strands of black string; she was given stone eyes. Henuttawy’s mummy was found in a set of two wooden coffins. The coffins must have been covered in gold, but all of the gold had been adzed off.

A golden embalming plaque was found inside the stomach of her mummy, bearing the Eye of Horus, the names of the Four Sons of Horus, and an inscription including the name of the queen.

Related: Mummy of Queen Nodjmet

The mummy exhibits many of the new techniques that developed for mummification in the Third Intermediate Period, notably the subcutaneous packing of linen and sawdust to preserve the shape of the body. In this case, however, the face of the mummy had burst due to being too tightly packed, it was restored to its original form in 1974.

Third Intermediate Period, 21st Dynasty, ca. 1070-945 BC. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 26204; CG 61090