At the time of her unwrapping, when surveying the mummy of Neskhon; plumpness of her physique and well-endowed bust seemed to indicate pregnancy or motherhood to archaeologists, and to this day it is widely believed she was either pregnant or had died during childbirth.
Neskhon (“She Belongs to Khons [Khonsu, the Egyptian God of the Moon]”), was a noble woman in the 21st Dynasty of Ancient Egypt who died around 969 B.C. She was a fairly young woman at the time of her death and was married to Pinedjem II, a high Priest of Amun at Thebes.
Neskhon was mummified and covered with an Osiris shroud and a few funerary objects such as vases and a canopic jar chest still exist for her mummy to this day. A heart scarab amulet belonging to her was robbed from her body by the Abdel Rassul family of Qurna, but was later recovered and today resides in the British Museum (EA25584).
However, despite the lack of goods and plundered funerary objects, buried alongside Neskhon was a peculiar object; an oracular decree with a prayer to Amun, pleading with the God to not let the spirit of Neskhon seek harm upon her widowed husband, Pinedjem II. Why this is we cannot be sure, but it has sparked the imagination of Egyptologists for over a century.
Petrie Museum, UC14226.
The mummy of Nodjmet was found in the Deir el-Bahari Royal Cachette (DB320). The mummy had been given artificial eyes, made of white and black stones. The eyebrows are real hair and she wears a wig. Her body and parts of her face were coloured to give her a more…
The Mummy of Amenhotep I was originally buried at Dra’ Abu el-Naga’. During the 21st Dynasty, the mummy, which was in poor condition, was moved to the Deir el-Bahari Royal Cachette (DB320). The mummy was carefully wrapped in bandages and covered with a mask, which is still in place together…
This funerary gold mask originally covered the face of the mummy of Wendjebauendjed, an army general of Psusennes I. Colored glass paste forms the eyes and eyebrows. The general’s face is idealized and detailed, with a slight smile. The mask covered the face, neck, and ears. It ended at the…
