Leather Counterpoise ("Mankhet")

A number of mummies from the late New Kingdom and early Third Intermediate Period were found with leather bands crossed over their chests. Usually referred to as braces or stola, these are also seen on depictions of mummiform deities and of the deceased. Theban coffins of the late 21st and early 22nd Dynasty typically include representations of these stola (see for example Outer coffin of Amenemopet). The ends of actual examples were often wide, and in some cases bore the image or name of a king or High Priest of Amun. Inscribed examples provide useful tools for dating, as they identify the most likely authority under whom a specific burial was made.

Also found on mummies of this period were long oval tabs ending in a circle or triangle. These are similar in shape to counterpoises ("mankhets") for necklaces (see 11.215.450 and 26.8.70a-2. Two such mankhets (see also 28.3.40 were found in the debris above the shaft of Pit 2 in Tomb MMA 832, which contained the burial of the Scribe of the Treasury Aafenmut. Made of yellow leather with red leather backing and edging, this mankhet is inscribed with the cartouches of Osorkon I.