Linen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummy

Linen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummy

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Linen marks are usually short inscriptions written in ink on the corners of large sheets of linen. Some mention the names and titles of high officials to whose estate the linen may have belonged or who may have been overseeing its acquisition or production. Other marks say nfr (good), which probably refers to the quality of the fabric. Occasionally, the name of the ruling king and a date are also written. This linen mark is one of five from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummy (see 07.230.1c*). One of six high-ranking royal females buried in shaft tombs under the platform of the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II, Henhenet would have been provided with linen of the finest quality. Her mummy was unwrapped in 1923, and only these marks preserved from the bandages. The mummy itself was sent to Qasr el-Aini Hospital in Cairo, where it was examined by Dr. Douglas Derry. Dr. Derry concluded that the queen had died in childbirth when she was in her early 20s. See also 07.230.1a, b, and d.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Linen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummyLinen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummyLinen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummyLinen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummyLinen marks from the wrappings of Henhenet's mummy

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.