A cartonnage was made of layers of papyrus and linen glued together and inscribed or painted with spells of protection. After mummification, the cartonnage was placed on top of the mummy. Then, the mummy would be wrapped in a shroud. In this cartonnage, portions of winged figures can be seen, symbolizing protection. The goddesses Isis, Nut, and Ma'at are all figures who might appear with wings. A translation of the hieroglyphs on this cartonnage fragment indicates "a royal offering" to Osiris.

Nut, the goddess of the heavens, was said to have united with her brother Geb, the earth god, to produce Osiris and other deities. Isis, sister and wife of Osiris, was the mother of Horus. Ma'at was the personification of order.

Read More

Sources:

Translation from curatorial file

Ikram, Salima. Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt. Great Britain: Longman, 2003.

Wilkinson, Richard H. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson, 2003.

Close