Mummy of a falcon with a bronze
mask
From Egypt
Ptolemaic
Period, 332-30 BC
Large numbers of falcon mummies have been
discovered at various sites in Egypt. This example has been
prepared with exceptional care. The linen wrappings have been
carefully arranged in a geometrical pattern, and the head covered
with a miniature bronze mask representing the falcon's
features.
The mask also has
a tripartite wig with parallel striations, indicating the
bird's divine status.
C.A.R. Andrews, Egyptian mummies (London, The British Museum Press, 1984)