Shirt

New Kingdom

Not on view

This shirt was made of a single length of closely woven linen fabric that was folded crosswise and sewn together along the selvages with gaps left near the fold for the arms. A hole was cut at the front for the head and the edges were finished with a rolled hem. At the back, the lower edge of the shirt was formed by the beam end of the fabric; at the front it was finished with a rolled hem. There are two woven repairs (see attached photographs), evidence that the shirt was used and valued by its owner.

The shirt had been folded into a rectangular pad and used in the wrappings of a middle-aged man. The stains are from resins employed in the mummification process. A bundle of linen containing a similar shirt and a kilt (36.3.76) was found lying on top of the mummy.

The man had been buried on the hillside below the tomb of Senenmut (see 36.3.252) in western Thebes. A number of burials were discovered on this hillside, including a small tomb containing Senenmut's mother, Hatnefer (36.3.1), his father, Ramose, and six other family members. It is possible that the un-named man was another relative or a member of Senenmut's household, who was buried where his spirit could benefit from the daily offerings that would be presented at Senenmut's offering chapel (TT 71).

Shirt, Linen

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Overall view of the front of the shirt.