| Henut Taui Human Mummy | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Henut Taui |
| Age | |
| Sex | Female |
| Status | Priestess/Chantress |
| Height | |
| Source | |
| Culture | |
| Date(s) | 1000 BCE, 21st dynasty |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | State museum of Egyptian Art, Munich |
| Catalog # | |
Henut Taui, also known as Henattaui or Henuttaway is thought to have been active ca 1000 BCE. She was an Ancient Egyptian priestess from the 21st dynasty and sang in the temple of Amun in Thebes.
Mummification[]
She was embalmed and buried in the Deir el-Bahari necropolis. Cocaine and nicotine were found in her hair by toxicologist Svetlana Balabanova so she has been labelled one of the famous 'cocaine mummies'. She can be found, along with her coffin, at the State museum of Egyptian Art in Munich, donated by Ludwig I, the King of Bavaria.
Studies[]
Hen Taui has been studied due to great interest in the 'cocaine mummies'. There have been many criticisms of the theory that cocaine and nicotine were brought from the New World into Egypt before Columbus. Many believe the presence of these substances are due to post-discovery contamination instead. There is also speculation due to the rising number of 'faked mummies' where bodies have been made to appear older.
References[]
- Balabanova, S., Parsche, S. & Pirsig, W. Naturwissenschaften (1992) First identification of drugs in Egyptian mummies 79: 358. doi:10.1007/BF01140178
- Rice, M. (1999). Who’s who in ancient Egypt. New York: Routledge.