All ancient Egyptian tombs are unique, but some pose a greater mystery than others.
Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – All ancient Egyptian tombs are unique, but some pose a greater mystery than others.
Archaeologists working in the Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha in 1905 stumbled into a secret tomb that held a surprising object. The archaeological team, led by archaeologists George Reisner and Hanford Lyman Story from the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, dug a 30-foot shaft in 33 days, but they were unprepared for the terrifying sight that awaited them when they entered the 4,000-year-old Egyptian tomb. The mummy’s severed head was placed on top of a magnificently decorated cedar coffin that was housed inside the little limestone room.
The tomb of Djehutynakht and his wife was first excavated in 1915 by a team of archaeologists from Harvard University and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. It was found in the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Deir el-Bersha, close to the city of Mallawi, about 250km south of Cairo. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Riddle Of The Decapitated Egyptian Mummy
Where was the mummy’s remaining body? Why was there only the head? Who and why had beheaded the deceased? Nobody was aware of the ancient Egyptian practice of decapitation at the time. The researchers had stumbled across a riddle, and it would be 104 years before contemporary forensic specialists could make sense of this strange tale.
As archaeologists continued to explore the secrets of the hidden tomb, they realized this was no ordinary burial site.
Djehutynakht’s tomb was discovered at the bottom of a 30ft pit. It had been plundered in antiquity, and the corpses damaged. Most of the valuable jewels were stolen, but a number of objects were left behind, making it one of the largest burial assemblages of the Middle Kingdom ever discovered. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 B.C.) funeral assemblage found in Tomb 10A was the largest ever. Inside the chamber, researchers discovered gorgeous cedarwood coffins, jewels, inscribed religious chants, and an amazing flotilla of disassembled model boats. Researchers were finally able to identify that tomb 10A was the final resting place for a governor named Djehutynakh and his wife as their excavation of the tomb progressed.
“At some point during the couple’s 4,000-year-long slumber, grave robbers ransacked their burial chamber and plundered its gold and jewels. The looters tossed a headless, limbless mummified torso into a corner before attempting to set the room on fire to cover their tracks.”
The tomb contained four painted coffins, an inner and outer one for both the governor and his wife. They were made of massive planks of imported cedar. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The archaeologists felt lucky because they could recover many magnificent ancient objects that had survived the raid and sent them to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1921.
According to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, tomb 10 A “contained four beautifully painted coffins, one of which (detail, shown above), the famous “Bersha coffin” (the outer coffin of the governor), is arguably the finest painted coffin Egypt produced and a masterpiece of panel painting. The tomb also included Djehutynakht’s walking sticks, pottery, canopic jar, and miniature wooden models that were made for the burial but reflect life on Djehutynakht’s estate, including some 58 model boats and nearly three dozen models of daily life such as individual shops for carpenters, weavers, brick-makers, bakers, and brewers. Of these, the best known is the exquisitely carved “Bersha procession” of a male priest leading female offering bearers.”
The outer coffin of Djehutynakht, known as the “Bersha coffin” is famous for its intricate and beautiful panel painting. The paintings and inscribed funerary texts were intended to facilitate Djehutynakht’s passage to the afterlife. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
These antiquated artifacts were transported in dramatic because the ship caught fire. Fortunately, the crew maintained control of the situation, and only minor water damage was sustained by the priceless ancient Egyptian antiquities.
The Deir el-Bersha coffin and procession were shown in the galleries by the Museum after it arrived in Boston, but the majority of the other items were kept hidden from view.
Statuettes were found within the tomb. Right: This wooden figure of a striding ᴍᴀɴ is thought to be Governor Djehutynakht. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Left: A female figure was also found, thought to be Lady Djehutynakht. These funerary figurines, shawabtys, were meant to act as a substitute for the dead in the afterlife, when the gods asked them to perform menial tasks. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
In 2009, the Museum of Boston decided to put the stored artifacts on display, but the staff encountered a rather embarring problem. “Though the torso remained in Egypt, the decapitated head became the star of the showcase. With its painted-on eyebrows, somber expression, and wavy brown hair peeking through its tattered bandages, the mummy’s noggin brought viewers face-to-face with a mystery.”
Whose Head Was It And Why Was It Missing Cheek bones?
Suddenly the Museum realized no-one knew whether the mummified head belonged to Djehutynakh or his wife. This question could only be answered by a DNA analysis, but obtaining DNA from a 4,000-year-old mummy is not an easy task.
The tomb included some 58 model boats, as well as models of carpenters, weavers, brick-makers, bakers and brewers. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Boston Museum contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.), asking for help solving this ancient mystery.
Scientists looked at the head and found a strange phenomenon. The cheekbones and a portion of the jaw hinge were absent from the mummified head. What could account for the missing facial bones?
According to Dr. Rajiv Gupta, a neuroradiologist at Massachusetts General, “all the muscles that are involved in chewing and closing the mouth, the attachment sites of those muscles had been taken out.”
For years archaeologists had puzzled over whether the mummy’s head belonged to husband or wife. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, in possession of the entire contents of the tomb, sent it out for analysis. In 2009, doctors from the Massachusetts General Hospital extracted a tooth from the mummified head. Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
This had been caused by the opening of the mouth ceremony, an ancient Egyptian ritual described in funerary texts such as the Pyramid Texts. “The Opening of the Mouth Ceremony allowed statues of deities and the dead to regain their senses, to see thereby into the realm of the living.” 3
However, the ritual was also performed so the deceased could eat, drink and breathe in the afterlife.
The genetic evidence from the mummy’s molar allowed F.B.I. experts to determine that the mummified severed head belonged to governor Djehutynakht.
What is still unknown and may never be solved is why Governor Djehutynakht had been decapitated and by whom. Had the ancient Egyptian governor been a hated man? Did looters deliberately cut off his head to prevent him from entering the afterlife, or was his body destroyed by workers before the tomb was sealed?
