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Mummy Bandage: Extract from the Book of the Dead

ca. 300 BCE

The tradition of placing a papyrus scroll with texts and spells from the Book of the Dead in the tomb to ensure the eternal survival of the deceased began during the New Kingdom and lasted until the Roman conquest. More economical supports were sometimes used, like the linen shown here. This funerary strip of over three meters in length, bearing the name Psamtik-Mery-Neith, exemplifies a more popular art, the quality of the funerary material varying in relation to the social status of the deceased. There is no inscription, only figurative vignettes illustrating extracts from the Book of the Dead. One of the details shows the jackal-headed god Anubis embalming the body of the deceased as he did for Osiris.

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi/ Photo: Thierry Ollivier

Title: Mummy Bandage: Extract from the Book of the Dead
Geography: Egypt
Date: ca. 300 BCE
Medium: linen
Classification: textile
Dimensions: approx. 10 x 310 cm
Inventory number: LAD 2011.004
Contact for images: [email protected]
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