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Gazelle mummy

Small and flat animal mummy, wrapped to look like a gazelle. The yellow-brown fur is visible. The animal was wrapped in linen after being eviscerated, desiccated, and anointed with oils and resins. Some loose-weave, somewhat coarse pieces of linen have been used to pad the body. Then strips of papyrus were wrapped around it repeatedly, creating a cohesive supporting meshwork that would also make the artefact thicker and protect the skeleton. A shroud was then used to cover it and is kept in place by a resinous substance. Some larger pieces of this shroud also cover the head. A possible trace of a painted eye is present on one side of the animal’s head, which is also seen in other similar mummies. The horns and ears are modelled out of cloth. It is difficult to clearly identify the animal: it is either a gazelle or a young ovicaprid.

Suppl. 1599
Organic animal+plant fiber / Linen
14.4 cm x 6 cm x 40 cm
10–380 CE
Roman Period
Purchase Ernesto Schiaparelli, 1900–1901
Museum / Floor 1 / Room 11 RET / Cabinet 51 Mummies / Shelf 02
Museo Egizio