Mummy In Coffin

Object Details

Donor Name

Hon. S S. Cox

Site Name

Luxor

Ptolemaic coffin and human mummy. Inscription on lid near feet is apparently corrupt and fragmentary. Associated with (419609, 419612).

The so-called "Minister Cox Mummy", named for the man who donated it, is a real mummy that is about 2200 years old. Decorative plaques are a linen and plaster material called Cartonnage. The gold on the plaques and mask along with the design of the coffin, indicate a person of some means but definitely not royalty. Unfortunately, no words on the decorations tell us who he was.

From NMNH Exhibit Hall "Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt" label for this artifact, 2011: Egyptian mummy and coffin 150 BC-50 AD. Within these wrappings is the mummified body of a man who died 2,000 years ago. In Egyptian belief, the gilt mask identified him as immortal, and the djed pillar, scarab, and Canopic gods painted on the papier maché cartonnage eased the transition to eternity. Egyptian tradition tells of gods with lapis lazuli beards, and the blue band at the chin links the deceased with the divine Osiris.

Record Last Modified

19 Dec 2024

Specimen Count

3

Culture

Ptolemaic Period

Accession Date

1886

Accession Number

017401

USNM Number

A126790-0

Object Type

Human Mummy / Coffin / Mummy Mask

Place

Qena, Upper Egypt, Egypt, Africa

See more items in

Anthropology

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Topic

Archaeology

Record ID

nmnhanthropology_8009751

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/33688c583-c3f5-4f68-95da-1c4c14552043