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Contracted body of a man which has been naturally mummified

Old Kingdom
ca. 2649–2100 BCE
Not on view
This is the mummified body of a man. He was buried on his left side in a contracted position, a posture often chosen for the dead in the Early Dynastic Period and early Old Kingdom.

The body, attached at the time to a wooden bier (99.3.6 [D]), was donated to the Museum by Theodore M. Davis in 1899. Davis reported having bought this ensemble from Mohammed Mohassib in Luxor. When it arrived in the Museum the curators felt that the body and bier did not belong together, so they were separated. The bier was de-accessioned to the Smithsonian Institute in the 1950s.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Contracted body of a man which has been naturally mummified
  • Period: Old Kingdom
  • Date: ca. 2649–2100 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt; Possibly from Southern Upper Egypt
  • Medium: Mummified human body, linen
  • Dimensions: L. 114 × W. 48 cm (44 7/8 × 18 7/8 in.), Case (Plexi): L. 127.6 × W. 61.6 × H. 45.7 cm (50 1/4 in. × 24 1/4 in. × 18 in.)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Theodore M. Davis, 1899
  • Object Number: 99.3.5
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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