| Meresamun | |
| |
| Biographical Information | |
|---|---|
| Name(s) | Meresamun |
| Age | 30 |
| Sex | Female |
| Status | Elite |
| Height | |
| Source | |
| Culture | Egyptian |
| Date(s) | Twenty-second Dynasty during the Third Intermediate Period 825 to 773 B.C |
| Site | |
| Current Location | |
| Location | University of Chicago Oriental Institute |
| Catalog # | |
Meresamun, also known as "Priestess of Amun," was an Egyptian priestess who lived in Thebes, but since the coffin was purchased, nothing is known about her tomb, its location, or other funerary goods. The coffin was the highlight of an exhibition, “The Life of Meresamun: A temple Singer in Ancient Egypt” which is on display at the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute Museum.
The inscriptions on her coffin indicate she held the title of “Singer in the interior Temple of Amun.” Her role was to perform music at rituals at the temple when needed. Generally, women who held this title came from some of the wealthiest families from Thebes.
The mummy of Meresamun is an example of skill of the ancient embalmer. Her coffin is made of cartonnage which is composed of layers of fabric, glue, and plaster. It has many layers of plaster, and it was topped with transparent varnish to make it waterproof. Her coffin is considered to be part of a more complex set of coffins. The coffin is also decorated with many decorations to ensure her success in the afterlife with flowers and bright colored paints.
Studies[]
In her temple duties, she would have used a sistrum, an ivory clapper, a harp, and cult vessel.s She would have participated in animal cults and the consultation of divine oracle.
The mummy and coffin of Meresamun were scanned twice in 2008; once in July and again in September. The mummy's head is positioned slightly upward, with the chin nearly touching the interior of the cartonnage case. The brain was removed through the ethmoid sinus. Unusual care was taken when the brain was removed, for the structure that separates the section of the brain was preserved. No resin or other material was introduced into the cranium. The eye orbits are covered with eye-shaped pieces of dense material, probably stone or faience. The mouth was filled with a dense substance. The embalmer’s incision is on the left side of the abdomen, and is covered with wadded linen. The abdomen has been packed with a granular material and with loose wads of linen. This linen packing was inserted far up in the chest cavity. A large mass of unidentified granular material is present at the throat. Two small rectangular objects, perhaps faience amulets, were detected. One is on the breast and the other is near the small of the back.
The teeth are severely worn, all the teeth are present, including the wisdom teeth. No evidence of tooth decay or periodontal disease was found. She had a slight overbite.
It is unclear whether an upper spine fracture took place near the time of death, but several of the fractures are clearly post-mortem. The bones indicate a young female, aged between late 20s to mid-30s. The pelvis is gynecoid, without convincing evidence of childbearing. Almost no degenerative changes are seen anywhere in the skeleton, and the bone density is normal. There is no evidence of pre-mortem bony trauma.
Additional[]
Her personal name, Meresamun, can be translated “Amun-Loves-Her,” also suggests a Theban origin.
The coffin of Meresamun has never been opened and the CT scans, x-rays and the use of advanced technology has allowed researchers to have an in depth view about what is inside the coffin.
- http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/meresamun/
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/collections/highlights/highlights-collection-mummies
References[]
Priestess of Amun - Archaeology Magazine Archive. (2009, January). Retrieved January 08, 2017, from http://archive.archaeology.org/online/features/meresamun/
The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. (n.d.). Retrieved January 08, 2017, from https://oi.uchicago.edu/collections/highlights/highlights-collection-mummies