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Crocodile mummy

An elaborate mummy in the form of a crocodile. The head is small and plain, wrapped in a small piece of brown textile folded on its sides, the eye area is marked by a protuberance of textile; any paint or applique which would have marked the eyes is now missing. The central dorsal part is covered using three different textiles, which are partly coated with some dark resinous material. The pattern is no longer discernible.
The tail is spirally wrapped in brown and undyed bandages. The ventral side shows that the spirally wrapped bandages were kept in place with resin, before the outer shroud was put on. Beneath the bandages are reed and papyrus strips, possibly woven into a loose mat, and kept in place with a rope and linen strips.
CT scans show that the package does not contain a whole crocodile, only fragments of flat bones, which might be crocodilian. A large radio-opaque object is present as well.

Provv. 1443
Organic animal+plant fiber / Linen
9.2 cm x 53 cm
370 BCE – 200 CE
Late Period – Ptolemaic Period
Unknown, 1824–1923
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 11 RET / Cabinet 50 Mummies / Shelf 02
Museo Egizio