Placeholder text

Go to cart

The lost mummy of Djedhor

By Raven, Maarten J.

The lost mummy of Djedhor Law

The lost mummy of Djedhor

0 - Default Title
Description
In the rich archives of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities lies a fascinating manuscript dealing with the autopsy on an Ancient Egyptian mummy. This was performed in 1878 by the Museum's curator Willem Pleyte. Thanks to Pleyte's detailed procès-verbal, the mummy (which did not survive the dissection) can be reconstructed at least on paper. The name of the deceased has been inscribed on the mummy's cartonnage, on some of the linen bandages, and on the Book of the Dead papyrus retrieved by Pleyte from the mummy wrappings. Several other items had been slipped between the wrappings, such as an amuletic necklace and various pieces of funerary jewellery. Together with textile samples of the diverse shrouds and bandages, all these finds have been preserved in the Museum's reserves.
This rich documentation allows us to recognize this assemblage as the remains of an elite burial in Ptolemaic Thebes. The texts identify its owner as a priest called Djedhor, the son of Neferibre and Takerheb. Comparable mummies and funerary objects in other museums in Europe, Egypt and the United States help to interpret the various items found on Djedhor's mummy. Moreover, we can thereby visualise the additional material once present in the tomb, such as the mummy's coffins, canopic chest, stela, and Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statue. Finally, the common acquisition history of all these items points to the original location of Djedhor's tomb and suggests through whose hands his remains must have passed on their way to Leiden.Contents
Preface
I. The autopsy and its museological context1. The Leiden mummy collection and its formation2. Previous dissections3. The acquisition of Djedhor's mummy4. The 1878 autopsy5. The procès-verbal
II. Djedhor's funerary ensemble and its parallels6. Numbering issues7. The cartonnage8. The garlands9. The bead net10. Outer wrappings11. Anklets and sandals12. The Book of the Dead papyrus13. Amuletic necklace14. Inner wrappings15. Mummification techniques16. Other burial gifts
III. Djedhor's burial and its archaeological context17. Date18. Social status19. Provenance20. Conclusion
Appendix 1. Comments by LeemansAppendix 2. Reply by PleyteList of illustrationsAbbreviationsBibliographyIndices
Product details
Binding:
Paperback
Edition:
1
Number of Pages:
132
Release Date:
2025-04-29
Publication Date:
2025-07-21
Publisher:
Sidestone Press
Languages:
Original: English
ISBN10:
946426344X
ISBN13:
9789464263442
Weight:
499 g
Height:
210 cm
Width:
280 cm
Thickness:
9 cm
Buy on Amazon
Currently sold out