22nd Dynasty mummy-case
- Gallery: Room 62
- Culture: 22nd Dynasty
- Object type: mummy-case, cartonnage, human mummy
- Materials: plaster; linen; human tissue; gold; metal (?); wood
- Museum number: EA22939
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is a 22nd Dynasty mummy-case of an adult woman named Tayesmutengebtiu. Her remains are encased in painted cartonnage with a gilded face and an elaborate vulture-style wig. This funerary case is rich with religious symbolism—rows of standing gods and winged deities, including a large djed-pillar held by the goddess Isis.
Examining the mummy, you'll notice her body is wrapped in linen bandages, with resinous materials between layers. Metal amulets, including a kneeling goddess, a falcon-shaped pectoral, and a small heart-scarab, rest over her body. Flank incisions reveal bundles of textile and figurines thought to represent the Sons of Horus. Even her feet are adorned with winged scarab amulets, each holding miniature sun discs.
The woman’s body was carefully prepared—textiles and wax figurines filled the abdominal cavity, and her teeth are fully preserved. Metal strips even cover her nails. With its fine preservation and intricate decoration, this mummy-case offers a rare and personal glimpse into ancient Egyptian funerary practices.
See it in person
22nd Dynasty mummy-case is on display in Room 62 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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