Ta-Reti

This cartonnage coffin belongs to a woman called Tanetreti-Scherit or “Ta-Reti”, and she was an Ancient Egyptian “Chantress of Amun”, somewhere between, 1070-713 B.C.

Ta-reti came from a family of priests and singers or “Chantresses“. Her father was a man named Ankhpakhered (whose title is upon her coffin), who held the title of “Gatekeeper of the Amun Temple”. Whereas Ta-Reti’s mother was a woman called Neskhonsupakhered, who like her daughter was a singer of Amun. It is believed that roles or careers in the priesthood or traditional temple roles were often kept within family lineage through multiple generations.

Most notable from the coffin of Ta-Reti is her beautiful vulture headdress. From the 5th Dynasty onwards, female rulers, high-ranking priestesses and Great Royal Wives would be depicted wearing the vulture headdress, which before then was only ever really seen upon the head of goddesses. The vulture headdress was associated with the goddess Nekhbet, and was often worn with a uraeus in the form of a cobra to represent the goddess Wedjat. Both goddesses represented both Upper (Nekhbet) and Lower (Wadjet) Egypt, and depicted together represented a Unified Egypt.

Summary:
Cartonnage coffin of Ta-Reti
Third Intermediate Period, 21st-Late 22nd Dynasty, c. 1070-713 B.C.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. ÄS 8641