Understanding the news: New discoveries at Saqqara may reveal more about mummification, Late Period
This week I'm posting a link to The official Account of the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt on Instagram.
ورشة التحنيط المكتشفة بجبانة سقارة تتضمن ثلاثة مومياوات و مجموعة من الاواني الكانوبيةً المصنوعة من الكالسيت ( الالباستر المصري) و عدد من تماثيل الاوشابتي المصنوعة من الفاينس الأزرق و اواني لزيوت التحنيط مكتوب عليها باللغة المصرية القديمة..
The recent discoveries made by a combined Egyptian/German team include shaft infrastructure for shared burials (designated K 24), some mummies and their associated objects (a mask, shabtis, numerous pottery vessels and canopic jars - shown in the preview below).
The site is located near the Step Pyramid complex of Djoser, just south of the pyramid of Unas at Saqqara (29°52'5.80"N 31°12'53.84"E).
Cultic activity at this site, which is associated with the now largely lost ancient administrative capital of Memphis lasted into the latest periods of ancient Egypt. The objects in this find date to the Saite Period (named after the city of Sais, 26th Dynasty) which was the beginning of the Late Period, just prior to the Persian invasion.
The most exciting aspect of this discovery is the possibility of learning more about the process of mummification. While we know a lot about mummification from the study and analysis of mummies, the ancient Egyptians themselves left little evidence regarding the processes and actual ingredients involved.
It is understood that mummification took place in temporary structures away from habitation - in the desert on the west bank of the Nile, and the leftover materials were subsequently buried, especially those associated with royal burials.
In 1907 Theodore M. Davis excavated objects from the embalming cache of Tutankhamun (KV 54) prior to Howard Carter locating the King's actual tomb (KV 62) in 1922, which contained embalming and funerary objects in the first corridor as shown and discussed in this paper:
Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache Reconsidered
It is hoped that new analytical techniques can be applied to the vessels found to reveal more about the actual substances used during this period.
The preview image shows canopic jars that would have contained the organs removed from the body during the process of mummification, from left to right
Hapy/Nephthys: lungs
Qebehsenuef/Selket: Intestines
Duamutef/Neith: stomach
(The body of the fourth jar of Imsety/Isis: liver is not shown in the image)
More at:
The story at Ahram Online
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlOdRMPgmS7/?taken-by=ministry_antiquities
This week I'm posting a link to The official Account of the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt on Instagram.
ورشة التحنيط المكتشفة بجبانة سقارة تتضمن ثلاثة مومياوات و مجموعة من الاواني الكانوبيةً المصنوعة من الكالسيت ( الالباستر المصري) و عدد من تماثيل الاوشابتي المصنوعة من الفاينس الأزرق و اواني لزيوت التحنيط مكتوب عليها باللغة المصرية القديمة..
The recent discoveries made by a combined Egyptian/German team include shaft infrastructure for shared burials (designated K 24), some mummies and their associated objects (a mask, shabtis, numerous pottery vessels and canopic jars - shown in the preview below).
The site is located near the Step Pyramid complex of Djoser, just south of the pyramid of Unas at Saqqara (29°52'5.80"N 31°12'53.84"E).
Cultic activity at this site, which is associated with the now largely lost ancient administrative capital of Memphis lasted into the latest periods of ancient Egypt. The objects in this find date to the Saite Period (named after the city of Sais, 26th Dynasty) which was the beginning of the Late Period, just prior to the Persian invasion.
The most exciting aspect of this discovery is the possibility of learning more about the process of mummification. While we know a lot about mummification from the study and analysis of mummies, the ancient Egyptians themselves left little evidence regarding the processes and actual ingredients involved.
It is understood that mummification took place in temporary structures away from habitation - in the desert on the west bank of the Nile, and the leftover materials were subsequently buried, especially those associated with royal burials.
In 1907 Theodore M. Davis excavated objects from the embalming cache of Tutankhamun (KV 54) prior to Howard Carter locating the King's actual tomb (KV 62) in 1922, which contained embalming and funerary objects in the first corridor as shown and discussed in this paper:
Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache Reconsidered
It is hoped that new analytical techniques can be applied to the vessels found to reveal more about the actual substances used during this period.
The preview image shows canopic jars that would have contained the organs removed from the body during the process of mummification, from left to right
Hapy/Nephthys: lungs
Qebehsenuef/Selket: Intestines
Duamutef/Neith: stomach
(The body of the fourth jar of Imsety/Isis: liver is not shown in the image)
More at:
The story at Ahram Online
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlOdRMPgmS7/?taken-by=ministry_antiquities
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