The mummy of the royal architect Kha who was the overseer of works from Deir el-Medina in the mid-18th Dynasty. It was one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of ancient Egypt, one of few tombs of nobility to survive intact. After the discovery of the tomb of Kha by the Italian archaeologists, the Egyptian authorities...
The mummy of Ramesses II was among those found in the Royal Cache (TT320) at Deir el-Bahari. It was completely covered with linen bandages that bear the king’s name and epithets in Hieratic script. The mummy has silky hair, which was white at the time of death, but has yellowed from the preservative chemicals. His...
The mummy of Thutmose II was presumably violated by tomb robbers. Therefore it was moved to the Deir el-Bahari Cachette (DB320), where it was rewrapped and restored. The king, like the other kings, has his hands crossed over his chest, in an Osirian pose that continued to be followed in mummies of kings for many...
The mummy of Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s most famous female pharaohs, has been the subject of significant archaeological and forensic research. Hatshepsut reigned during the 18th Dynasty (around 1479-1458 BC), and while her tomb and her many monuments were discovered, her mummy was not immediately identifiable. For years, the location of her final resting place...
Seti I is believed to have died at around 40–50 years old, based on studies of his mummy and historical records. His reign lasted approximately 11–15 years, c. 1290–1279 B.C. Seti I’s achievements spanned military, architectural, and administrative domains, setting the stage for the prosperity of his son and successor, Ramesses II (Ramesses the Great)....
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). The mummy is most notable for what appears to be a wound upon her jawline, as of...
The Egyptian priest Ankhhor lived around 650 BC. He worked in the temple dedicated to Montu, a war god who was venerated in Thebes, the religious center of Ancient Egypt. The priests of Montu were interred in mass graves, most of which were discovered in the 19th century. Ankhhor was mummified according to the ‘fashion’...
King Merneptah was originally buried within tomb (KV8) in the Valley of the Kings, but his mummy was not found there. In 1898 it was located along with eighteen other mummies in the mummy cache found in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV35) by Victor Loret. In their search for gold, the tomb-robbers split the...
Mummification is the process of preserving the body after death by deliberately drying or embalming flesh. This typically involved removing moisture from a deceased body and using chemicals or natural preservatives, such as resin, to desiccate the flesh and organs. Older mummies are believed to have been naturally preserved by burying them in dry desert sand and were not chemically treated.
Djed-djehuty-iuef-ankh (whose name means ‘The god Thoth says “May he live”’) was a member of a family of priests from the city of Thebes, where he served the warlike god Montu. This spectacular nest of three coffins containing his mummy was found in 1895, together with that of his mother, buried within the grounds of...
