Items

All photos by Brenna Reistad

Braided Human Hair

Hair Extensions

1994 - 1781 BC

Both men and women commonly shaved their heads and wore wigs, and, with hair extensions, they could vary the style of the wig or their own hair. In the tomb, they stored hair in a basket or box.

Canopic Jars

945 - 712 BC

Containers like these held the deceased's lungs, stomach, liver, and intestines. The lids represent the four sons of Horus - Hapi (baboon), Duamutef (jackal), Imseti (human), and Qebehsenuef (falcon) - who stood guard over the organs.

Decorated Shabtis

Small human figures placed in a tomb representing a person who would perform a task (such as farming) for the deceased person in the afterlife.

Shabtis could be made from faience, wood, clay and even wax.

Bead Network Shroud

1075 - 332 BC

New Years Flask

c. 600 BC

Filled with Nile water, flasks like this were traditional New Year's gifts in July when the river's floods began. For a people who saw death as a phase leading to new life, nature offered many powerful examples of rebirth - one of them the cycle of the seasons.

Anubis Art

Anubis preparing the dead.

Ceiling Fragment

Paddle Doll

1994 - 1781 BC

Ceremonial Flail

c 1400 BC or later

Paired with a crook, the flail symbolized royal authority and identified the deceased with Osiris, divine king of the dead.

Natron Packet

Date Unknown

Natron, a naturally occurring salt minded west of the Nile,

absorbs water and dissolves body fats, an ideal combination for mummification.

Portfolio by Brenna Reistad