Irtw-irw: Mummy, Coffin and Cartonnage Set
Mask and Pectoral: cartonnage, painted and gilded
Coffin: wood, painted and gilded
Date: Probably Early Ptolemaic Period (305-150 B.C.E.)
Provenance: Attributed to Akhmim
Irtw-irw's name (pronounced "ear-too ear-oo") means "may the eye (of the god) be against them." In other words, may the eye of the god protect Irtw-irw from his enemies. His mummified body reminds us of the importance of mummification in ancient Egyptian funerary belief.
Irtw-irw's funerary mask would have been positioned directly over the face and upper chest of his mummy after it was placed in the coffin. The mask depicts the facial features in a traditional manner. The features are not individualized to look like Irtw-irw, but picture him as if in the prime of life. Note that the mask is similar to the face painted on the coffin lid.
Irtw-irw's coffin lid is decorated with many images derived from ancient Egyptian religion. The outstanding feature of the coffin lid is the gilded face of Irtw-irw framed by a huge, blue wig. The gilded face suggests that at death Irtw-irw became like the sun god, whose face was gold. A brightly painted pectoral decorates Irtw-irw's chest. Below this pectoral (broad collar or necklace) is an image of a winged goddess. She wears a sun disk on her head and her arms extend into wings which stretch protectively around the mummy. In her hands are feathers, symbolic of truth. The deceased had to have his heart weighed against the feather of truth in the afterlife. If his heart was "heavy" with misdeeds, then he was devoured by a monster named Ammit. If, however, his heart was "as light as a feather," the deceased was permitted to enter into the kingdom of Osiris, the ruler of the netherworld. Below the image of the goddess is a lion bier (bed) on which the mummy is outstretched. The bier is flanked by images of Isis and Nephthys. Isis, the wife of Osiris and goddess of magic, is on the left and wears on her head the hieroglyph for her name, the throne symbol. Nephthys, the sister of Isis and the protectress of coffins and canopic jars, is on the right and wears on her head the hieroglyphs for her name. The ba (one aspect of the soul) of the deceased, shown as a human-headed bird, hovers above the bier. Below it stand the four canopic jars which were used to hold and protect the internal organs of the mummy. Below these are figures with feathers of truth in their hands. At the bottom of the coffin lid, placed upside-down so that Irtw-irw could see them, are images of Anubis, the funerary god, portrayed as a jackal. Knife-holding guardian figures form a band around the edge of the coffin.In 1987 Irtw-irw spent the day in the hospital while a medical team from the University of Tennessee Medical School examined him. He spent three hours going through a C.A.T. scan, and pathologists closely examined him. Later, an E.N.T. (ear, nose and throat) specialist looked inside Irtw-irw's head with sophisticated equipment. This exam, along with the C.A.T. scan, confirmed that Irtw-irw suffered from an ear infection which ultimately invaded his brain and may have caused his death. Although we do not know exactly when the hole on the side of his head was made, it happened in relatively recent times. The examination also revealed that he is younger than expected. Irtw-irw died at about 30 years of age.
Mask and Pectoral: cartonnage, painted and gilded
Coffin: wood, painted and gilded
Date: Probably Early Ptolemaic Period (305-150 B.C.E.)
Provenance: Attributed to Akhmim
Irtw-irw's name (pronounced "ear-too ear-oo") means "may the eye (of the god) be against them." In other words, may the eye of the god protect Irtw-irw from his enemies. His mummified body reminds us of the importance of mummification in ancient Egyptian funerary belief.
Irtw-irw's funerary mask would have been positioned directly over the face and upper chest of his mummy after it was placed in the coffin. The mask depicts the facial features in a traditional manner. The features are not individualized to look like Irtw-irw, but picture him as if in the prime of life. Note that the mask is similar to the face painted on the coffin lid.
Irtw-irw's coffin lid is decorated with many images derived from ancient Egyptian religion. The outstanding feature of the coffin lid is the gilded face of Irtw-irw framed by a huge, blue wig. The gilded face suggests that at death Irtw-irw became like the sun god, whose face was gold. A brightly painted pectoral decorates Irtw-irw's chest. Below this pectoral (broad collar or necklace) is an image of a winged goddess. She wears a sun disk on her head and her arms extend into wings which stretch protectively around the mummy. In her hands are feathers, symbolic of truth. The deceased had to have his heart weighed against the feather of truth in the afterlife. If his heart was "heavy" with misdeeds, then he was devoured by a monster named Ammit. If, however, his heart was "as light as a feather," the deceased was permitted to enter into the kingdom of Osiris, the ruler of the netherworld. Below the image of the goddess is a lion bier (bed) on which the mummy is outstretched. The bier is flanked by images of Isis and Nephthys. Isis, the wife of Osiris and goddess of magic, is on the left and wears on her head the hieroglyph for her name, the throne symbol. Nephthys, the sister of Isis and the protectress of coffins and canopic jars, is on the right and wears on her head the hieroglyphs for her name. The ba (one aspect of the soul) of the deceased, shown as a human-headed bird, hovers above the bier. Below it stand the four canopic jars which were used to hold and protect the internal organs of the mummy. Below these are figures with feathers of truth in their hands. At the bottom of the coffin lid, placed upside-down so that Irtw-irw could see them, are images of Anubis, the funerary god, portrayed as a jackal. Knife-holding guardian figures form a band around the edge of the coffin.In 1987 Irtw-irw spent the day in the hospital while a medical team from the University of Tennessee Medical School examined him. He spent three hours going through a C.A.T. scan, and pathologists closely examined him. Later, an E.N.T. (ear, nose and throat) specialist looked inside Irtw-irw's head with sophisticated equipment. This exam, along with the C.A.T. scan, confirmed that Irtw-irw suffered from an ear infection which ultimately invaded his brain and may have caused his death. Although we do not know exactly when the hole on the side of his head was made, it happened in relatively recent times. The examination also revealed that he is younger than expected. Irtw-irw died at about 30 years of age.