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Cattle mummy

Cattle mummy representing the animal lying with the legs folded under the body. The head is naturalistic while the body is a rough trapezoid. The head and foreparts of the body are covered in a dark brown fabric while the rest of the animal is covered with an undyed cloth, that holds the textile paddings together. In a hole on the back a piece of woolen fabric has been identified, supporting the late date of this mummy.
The horn-cores are wrapped separately in undyed linen, covered with a dark substance. Details of the muzzle are appliquéd on the brown background. Between the eyes is an inverted triangle of bleached textile, reminiscent of the markings of the Apis bull. The eyes are made by bleached textile with black painted pupils. Two strips of bleached textile indicate the eyebrows.
The animal was juvenile.
The skull is joined to the trunk by a set of sticks. The interior consists of a pile of skeletonized and disarticulated bones. The bones are wrapped in many layers of linen, held together by bandages, and then papyrus pith strips and a shroud. The muzzle is reinforced by wads of linen, spiral bandages, vegetal elements, threads, and further linen.

Cat. 2344
Organic animal+plant fiber / Linen
43 cm x 54.5 cm x 85 cm
410–360 BCE
Late Period
Unknown
Purchase Bernardino Drovetti, 1824
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 11 RET / Historical Showcase
Museo Egizio