tour 3 of 12
Mummy: The Inside Story
The painted cartonnage case
Inside Nesperennub's outer wooden
coffin was an elaborately painted cartonnage case. This was made by
applying up to twenty layers of linen soaked in glue or plaster to
a disposable, mummy-shaped core, probably of mud and straw. While
the linen layers were still pliable, a long incision was made at
the back and the core was removed. The mummy was put inside the
tough shell through this opening and then the two sides were
tightly laced together with string. This type of coffin was cheaper
and easier to make than one of stone or wood, and once the mummy
was sealed inside, the case could not be removed without breaking
it. This prevented reuse of coffins by unscrupulous mortuary
officials.
After being
coated with fine white plaster, the cartonnage case was painted.
The upper section shows the sun god as a scarab beetle with a
falcon's head and wings, with two serpent goddesses and the
four Sons of
Horus flanking the funerary god
Osiris-Sokar
below. The lower section is dominated by the domed and feathered
emblem of
Osiris.
There is an image of the
Apis
bull on the footboard of the case; one of his
functions was to carry the dead to their
tombs.
The text on the
front of the cartonnage case reads: 'An offering which the
king gives to Osiris, so that he might give life to the Beloved of
the God, the Libationer of Khons of Benenet, Nesperennub, son of
the like-titled Ankhefenkhons, justified.' This reveals
that Nesperennub and his father worked as priests in the great
religious complex of Karnak.