Within the Tutankhamun’s tomb, two mummified foetuses were discovered. Known as Mummies 317a and 317b, the female mummies were buried with no namesake alongside their father, and are simply referred to as “Osiris” on their coffins The foetus known as 317a was born prematurely at approximately 5–6 months of gestation. With C.T. scans estimating her...
Tamit is an Ancient Egyptian mummy housed in the Egyptian Museum of Turin (inv. no. Cat. 2218/02, CGT 13003), dating to the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, c.722–664 B.C. Her provenance is likely Thebes, in modern-day Luxor, a major religious centre of Ancient Egypt. Examination of her remains reveals that she died at a young age and was...
In 2016, in the heart of Melbourne, Australia, a remarkable project breathed new life into the visage of an Ancient Egyptian woman. Known to us now as Meritamun, her mummified head, believed to be at least over 2,000 years old, has undergone a transformation from the remnants of a long-lost ancient woman to a testament...
This statuette, fashioned from an arsenical copper alloy, portrays the noblewoman and princess Sebeknakht in the intimate act of nursing her infant son. Adorned with a diadem crowned by a regal uraeus, she is gracefully depicted in a crouched position, her left arm and bent knee tenderly supporting the child as he feeds. The infant,...
To the Egyptians, Hippopotami were associated with the protective goddess Taweret who was associated with childbirth, pregnancy, and motherhood. The Egyptians saw hippos as a fearsome creature who protected their young from predators, with the ferociousness of the hippo encapsulating protective love. Therefore, the nature of the hippo became a symbol of guardianship during pregnancies,...
This wig was found lying behind the head of Nauny’s mummy in her inner coffin. From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahari, Tomb of Meritamun (TT 358, MMA 65), inside coffin, MMA excavations, 1928–29. The wig is made from plaits of human hair, which were fastened at the top with a cord. The hair was...
Mut, whose name means “mother” in Ancient Egyptian, was a significant deity in the Egyptian pantheon, particularly revered as the mother goddess and queen of the gods. She was considered a primal deity, linked with the primordial waters of Nu from which creation emerged, symbolizing her role as the creator of life itself. Mut was...
This mummy of a woman known as “Mummy KV60b” was discovered within a large (7ft) sarcophagus in Tomb KV60 of the Valley of the Kings. She is one of two female mummies discovered within the tomb, and her coffin was inscribed with the title of “Great Royal Nurse, In” [Egyptian: wr šdt nfrw nswt In]....
This fragment of a clay jug with the head of a smiling woman, would have been used as a pouring vessel, and was typical of the style of the 18th Dynasty, c. 1479–1352 B.C. It is thought such vessels would have been associated with motherhood, midwifery in particular. Usually, such vessels would be carved in...
This limestone head a of a woman dates from the New Kingdom. It’s remnants showcase a beautifully decorated wig, adorned with a headband and plait cascading down the back of her head. However, the piece has recieved much restoration work and has somewhat influenced how we see this piece in the modern age. This below...
