Louvre

Man's Mummy

This mummy, one of the best preserved in the world, is that of a man who lived in the Ptolemaic period.

According to the customs of this period, the body of the deceased is carefully wrapped in strips of linen whose disposition reaches, especially at the level of the face, a high artistic quality. It is covered with several elements: a mask that covers the head, a large neck resting on the chest, an apron deployed on its legs and finally, an envelope for the feet.

This mummy is, according to the results of an x-ray examination, an adult man. His face is covered with a mask with harmonious features on top of which is represented by a winged scarab, the symbol of rebirth. The wide collar that covers your chest is made up of several rows of pearls and has chisels in the shape of a hawk's head. Several scenes divided into registers occur on the apron that covers his body. One can see the mummy lying on a bed surrounded by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys and the four sons of Horus. Finally, in the box with the feet, two representations of the funeral god Anubis take place. The texts list the names of all the gods present to whom the deceased trusts his destiny, calling with all his vows a beautiful funeral in the necropolis.