Evidence and Interpretation
The Mummy of Shepenmut
The mummy of Shepenmut, was brought to England in the
late 19th century and donated to this Museum in 1897.
Research has been undertaken in recent times to learn
more about the life of this Egyptian woman.
Using the evidence that remains much speculation has been
made about her life and death in Ancient Egypt.
However,
it is important to remember that
all ‘evidence’ can only provide us with the
materials on which to base our
interpretations
of the past.
And that these interpretations can vary
from person to person.
 The shape and decoration of the coffin give clues about the date of the
mummy, as they conform to others of the same period.
 Hieroglyphs on the coffin and cartonnage have been decoded to give information about her name, her titles, her
role in life and where she lived. They also include prayers
to Osiris, God of the Dead.
 Symbolic paintings on the coffin and cartonnage have
been interpreted, most of which seem to offer some
form of good luck or protection to the mummy.
 X-ray photography provides information about the gender of the
mummy and her state of health, raising the idea that she may have
suffered with a bone disease affecting her spine.
 Surgical investigation revealed much about the methods and materials
used to mummify her body, and provided more evidence to suggest that
she probably did have a rare bone disease.
Research by C. V. Anthony Adams
One researcher, C.V. Anthony Adams, based here at RAMM in the 1960’s,
undertook much of this work. His findings have helped greatly in the
interpretation of the symbolic paintings and hieroglyphs, and also informed us
about the physical condition of the mummy.
Extracts of his booklet ‘SHEPENMUT – PRIESTESS OF THEBES’ follow
later.
However,
it must be remembered that
these are only one person’s
interpretations
of the evidence!
Other Interpretations . . . .
Others have contested these interpretations, notably staff based at The
British Museum in the 1980’s, saying that there is no evidence to suggest that
Shepenmut had any special titles at all and may not have even been a
priestess!
Their research into the texts on the coffin suggests that:  she was a ‘Lady of the House’ - i.e. a married woman
 her father Nes-Amenemipt, not her mother, was the
‘Carrier of the Milk Jar’
 being a ‘Carrier of the Milk Jar’ was a low-grade profession
equivalent to being a cow-herd
 there is no mention of the Temple of Amun
 there is no mention that she was a Priestess
 she and her father did come from Thebes, because of their
names
 the coffins do date to the Third Intermediate Period, c.800
BC
 and that she was buried at Thebes
They go on to mention that there was also a coffin listed in the Museum of
Alexandria in 1904, that was almost certainly of the same date, belonging to a
Lady of the House called Kharu who was daughter of the ‘Carrier of the Milk
Jar’ Nes-Amenemipt, suggesting that she could possibly be the sister of
Shepenmut.
As a result of their research into the evidence, a letter from British Museum
research staff to RAMM research staff suggests that the previous
interpretation of the information was such because the researcher had: ‘picked out odd bits of information and melded them together to give a
most misleading picture’!
However, it is worth bearing in mind that their research was based purely on
photographic evidence, having never seen the mummy face to face.
Extracts from: -
SHEPENMUT – PRIESTESS OF
THEBES
By C.V. Anthony Adams
SHEPENMUT - Daughter of Esamenopet;
Songstress of Amun-Re; Carrier of the Milk jar,
and Priestess of the Temple of Thebes about
800 B.C., rests once more in the eternal sleep
of death within her decorated cartonnage.
She was the daughter of Esamenopet, and from
the time when she was quite a young woman
until the day of her death she would regularly
shuffle her way along the burning sandy streets,
going to and from the temple, while the heat of
a remorseless sun beat down upon her body.
Unlike our present-day nuns, Shepenmut was
quite free to marry and have a family of her own
if she so wished, but we have no evidence that
she took advantage of this concession. We do
know that about 800 B.C. she was a
middle-aged woman, and that her life of
dedication to the great god Amun-Re came to
an end.
In accordance with the custom and religious
dictates of the time, her body was carefully
mummified; placed in the beautifully decorated
cartonnage case which was designed to
represent the embalmed woman; having the
facial area moulded in a state of peaceful
resignation. The cartonnage was enclosed in a simple wooden coffin, and
Shepenmut was laid to rest within the tomb, which had been prepared for her.
So she remained undisturbed until the latter part of the nineteenth century
when her tomb was discovered and her coffin, with its precious contents, was
brought to England.
Shepenmut had faithfully served the temple for many years, and naturally her
death came as a great blow to her friends and relations. Indeed, while they
mourned her passing, they were equally determined that she should receive
the type of burial befitting her position as a priestess, but nevertheless such
burials would only be equivalent to that of the average middleclass person of
today.
The religious teachings of several thousand years dictated that life after death
depended upon the preservation of the body as the home to which the soul in
due course might return. Such preservation varied in its technique with the
passage of time, but we are concerned only with the process employed for
Shepenmut.
With great sorrow her body would be given into the custody of the
embalmer's; the sorrow being all the more felt because Shepenmut would
never be seen again by those who loved her, except as a mummy made
ready for placing in the tomb.
....
Apart from its mummiform shape, modeled face, wig, and decorated collar,
the coffin of Shepenmut is much simplified and conforms to the designs of
the late period. A single column of writing runs vertically down the lid; the text
of which is a combination of prayers to Osiris, plus the titles of the priestess.
These are also repeated along either side of the coffin.
Within the coffin is a portrait of the goddess Isis, standing on the hieroglyph
symbol of her sister goddess Nephthys. The arms of Isis are outstretched so
as to enfold protectively the cartonnage containing the body of Shepenmut.
The cartonnage case, or plaster and linen shell, covering the shrouded body
is quite elaborate when compared with the plain coffin. Like the coffin,
however, it is mummiform shape, and the decorations occupy four specific
areas determined by four gaily coloured horizontal bands, and a vertical
column of hieroglyphs. These symbolize the principal external bandages of
the mummy, viz., a single band from head to foot and four horizontals.
The blue wig is surmounted by a floral skullcap, beneath which protrude the
wings of the protecting goddess Nekhbet. The lappets of the wig terminate in
bands of yellow, and rest upon a beaded collar symbolic of a garland of
assorted flowers.
Immediately beneath the collar kneels the goddess Nephthys, wearing on her
head the hieroglyph crown spelling her name, and her winged arms are
outstretched in an attitude of protection across the mummy of Shepenmut.
Coming now to the figures depicted between the first and second horizontal
bands, the first at the extreme left is a standard on top of which is a Night
Heron. This bird is symbolic of the resurrection from the dead of the god
Osiris. The next figure is Hapy (Baboon-headed) who, with his brothers
Imsety (Human-headed) next to him, and Qebhsenuef (Falcon-headed) and
Duamutef (Dog-headed) at far right, constitute the four deities known as the
Sons of Horus. It was their duty to guard the lungs, liver, intestines and
stomach.
Centrally in this same area is the hawk god, Horus, wearing on his head the
sun disc of Amun. Horus also has his wings outstretched protectively across
the priestess.
On either side of Horus is a uraeus or serpent representing a goddess with
different names who personified the burning Eye of Re, and who spits fire at
enemies of the tombs. Each serpent wears upon its head the white crown or
Mitre of Upper Egypt, and it is interesting to note that the serpent on the right
has a signet ring or Shenu about its waist, offering 10,000,000 years of
happiness to Shepenmut.
In the next section are, at the left, the goddess Isis and on the right her sister
Nepthys, each wears the sun disc of Amun and holds protective wings over
the priestess.
The central painting which now follows is an apron surmounted by plumes
and sun disc of Amun. The exact significance of all such aprons is unknown,
but on either side of it are found paintings of the god Horus in an attitude of
protection; wearing the sun disc of Amun, and carrying a shenu in the claws.
In the intervening spaces between the wings of the Horus gods and the apron
are depicted two sacred rams representing power and prestige.
Next comes the vertical strip of hieroglyphs, and to the extreme right of this is
another standard. This time, however, it bears the symbol of the firestone and
denotes strength. At the side of the standard is the figure of Shepenmut
herself, with arms raised to greet her Father and Mother, who also welcome
her from the left of this section.
The remainder of the cartonnage, in the area of the feet, is given over to
various symbols for the protection of the dead, and on the wooden
base-board is painted a figure of the pied bull of Amenti.
SURGERY ON SHEPENMUT
Intensive X-ray examinations carried out on the mummy of Shepenmut
revealed . . . . the appearance of opacification of the intervertebral discs with
associated minimal osteo-arthritic changes which could suggest a diagnosis
of ochronosis, a bone and joint sequela of alkaptonuria; an extremely rare
disease caused by a Mendelian recessive gene, and which occurs once in
about 10, 000, 000 individuals.
Opacification of this type, however, might equally be the result of
post-mortem chemical reaction on the spine, especially so if certain iron salts
were present in the natron compound used for embalming. To resolve the
problem it was decided to remove a section of vertebrae for biochemical
analysis at University College Hospital, London.
....
An operation of the type envisaged required considerable planning, since at
virtually all stages it would be fraught with hitherto unencountered difficulties
and dangers; the first of major importance involved the satisfactory opening of
the cartonnage, and the second the prevention of the mummy collapsing
during the many hours required for the operation.
....
The priestess was enclosed in a double layer linen shroud, which had been
drawn round the body and laced up the back with linen strips, the excess
material at the head and feet tucked underneath to give a neat finish to the
work. It is usual for a large figure of Osiris, God of the Dead, to be drawn in
ink on the outer shroud, but in this instance it was omitted.
From a purely scientific point of view the removal of the shroud revealed the
actual mummy, the bandages at surface level being three inches wide and
wrapped horizontally about the body. However, from an aesthetic point of
view it would be more in keeping to state that for the first time in over 2, 700
years the eyes of man were privilged to see the mummy of Shepenmut,
exactly as she was after the ancient Egyptian embalmers had completed their
work on her.
....
. . . . having carefully made an incision they found a beautifully-cast, three
inch long wax figure of the jackal-headed god Duamutef and although its ears
were missing, it indicated that the dissected material was probably the
stomach……no other figurines were found…The pelvis was almost
completely filled with a linen roll . . . .
Having removed the section, and taken away samples of other materials such
as fragments of viscera, resinous paste, inner bandage, etc. the operation,
which had lasted four and half hours was complete and the work of
restoration could begin.
....
In life Shepenmut, as a priestess, contributed to the spiritual welfare of her
people. In death, through the agency of her spine section, she not only
provided comparative material for the study of Alkaptonuria, but the technique
adopted for the operation on her was published in a special edition of the
'Medical News’ for the British Medical Association Annual Meeting. The BBC.
made a film of the operation which was broadcast as an edited version on
television in the ‘Tonight’ programme.
Shepenmut has thus ensured that workers in the field of palaeopathology
need no longer rely upon radiographs for evidence, since they can now follow
a simple procedure which provides a large safety margin for the mummy, and
also obtain specimens they require for study and research.
Finally, a critical examination of Shepenmut's cartonnage case enabled us to
evaluate its physical structure and reconstruct the carefully planned method
its Egyptian makers used to ensure the survival of the mummy it was to
contain.
Taken from Discussions in Egyptology 16,1990 ISSN 0268-3083
Shepenmut – Priestess of Thebes, Her Mummification and Autopsy
by C.V. Anthony Adams, F.R.E.S.