Mummy

Is this the head of Meryrahashetef?

Statue of Meryrahashetef, c. 2345-2181 B.C.

Sir Flinders Petrie discovered this human head of a man, resting upon a head rest in Sidmant el-Gebel within the Tomb of Meryrahashetef (?). Petrie identified the mummy as the Old Kingdom, “Keeper of the Palace Garden” and “Lector Priest”, Meryrahashetef of the 6th Dynasty. A wooden statue of Meryrahashetef, which has been carved from...

Skull from the skeletonized mummy of KV55, believed by some to be that of king Akhenaten, whereas others propose it may be the mysterious king Smenkhkare.

Skeletonized mummy of KV55 (Akhenaten?)

Skull from the skeletonized mummy of KV55, believed by some to be that of king Akhenaten, whereas others propose it may be the mysterious king Smenkhkare. The skeleton was found in a vandalised coffin, with a vulture pectoral upon him. Recent C.T. scan analysis of the skeletal remains, put the age range of these bones...

Tutankhamun’s mother (The Younger Lady)

The mummy known as “The Younger Lady”, formally identified as the mother of king Tutankhamun and full biological sister of the mummy known as KV55 (believed by some scholars to be that of Akhenaten but not officially certified), is a daughter of king Amenhotep III and his Great Royal Wife, Tiye. Modern analysis of “The...

Mummified head of a woman from Thebes

Mummified head of a woman from Thebes

Mummified head of a woman (momie de femme), discovered at Thebes in 1799. She dates from between the New Kingdom Period and Late Period (when the last Native rulers of Ancient Egypt held power), c.1550 – 332 B.C. Musée du Louvre. E 3442 In ancient Egypt, it was common for individuals, both men and women,...

Scalp with human hair. Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London. UC.30139

Scalp with human hair

This human scalp was found under a wig of long black hair, some remnant of the dark haired wig are still present in the form of a plait. The body itself is sadly lost, as it was either not mummified or very poorly mummified. Upon modern discovery, it seemed this body had been completely dried...

Pre-Dynastic Mummies: The Gebelein Man “Ginger”

The Gebelein Man (British Museum. EA32751), also known informally as “Ginger” due to his red hair; is the mummy of a young Egyptian man found in Gebelein (modern Naga el-Gherira, 25 miles south of Thebes), dating from the Late Pre-Dynastic Period, c. 3400 B.C. During the period of Gebelein Man’s life and death, Egyptians were...

Mummy of an adult man

Mummy of an adult man

Mummy of an adult man, name unknown. The preparation has been carried out with great care and skill by the embalmer, and the rounded and shapely contours of a living body have been skillfully imitated. The features of the face are painted upon the outermost wrappings. The fingers and toes are each wrapped separately; the...

Mummy of Queen Tiye

Mummy of Queen Tiye

The mummy of Queen Tiye was found within the second side chamber of the tomb of Amenhotep II. Found in 1898 by Victor Loret, it was discovered that Amenhotep II’s tomb had later been used by the Ancient Egyptian priesthood as a storage for many royal mummies spanning both the 18th and 19th Dynasties. Tiye...

Mummy of Queen Henuttawy

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...

The coffin adorned with the human-headed part-eel, part-cobra imagery linked to Egyptian god Atum

Unwrapping secrets of lizard mummies

A team at the British Museum and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), have led a pioneering study into 2500-year-old ancient Egyptian lizard mummies. The team used an innovative technique called neutron imaging to ‘look’ inside a group of six sealed first millennium BC animal coffins from...