Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Monograph

Degree

Master of Arts

Program

Anthropology

Supervisor

Nelson, Andrew J.

Abstract

This study examined the connection between social status and mummification in post-New Kingdom Egypt using a sample of sixty-one (n=61) adult non-royal Egyptian human mummies archived in the IMPACT radiological database. The purpose of this research was two-fold. First, as they have been uncritically accepted by both the academic community and popular literature, the validity of Classical mummification accounts offered by Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus was assessed. Second, four features of mummification with status connotations (arm position, amulets, cranial resin, estimated stature) were tested using exploratory data analysis in search of any potential connections with each other or specific time periods. The results of this study not only challenge the accuracy of Classical accounts discussing ancient Egyptian mummification but demonstrate that arm positioning and cranial resin have potential associations with specific time periods, geographic regions, and each other. Ultimately, following the democratization of mummification in the New Kingdom, this research highlights the inevitable variability of the mummification program in post-New Kingdom Egypt.

Summary for Lay Audience

This study examines the connection between social status and mummification from the New Kingdom until the end of what is considered "ancient Egypt", during the Roman Period. The sample used in this study consists of 61 (n=61) adult non-royal Egyptian human mummies which are currently archived in the IMPACT (Internet Mummy Picture Archiving and Communication Technology) radiological and context database. The purpose of this research was two-fold. First, the validity of Classical accounts contemporary with ancient Egypt, written by the ancient historians Herodotus and Diodorus Siculus, was assessed, as they have been uncritically accepted by both the academic community and popular literature. Second, four features of mummification related to social status (arm position, the presence of amulets, the treatment of cranial resin after the brain was removed, and estimated stature) were tested using exploratory data analysis in search of any potential connections with each other or specific time periods. The results of this study were able to challenge the accuracy of the Classical mummification accounts, as those studies did not demonstrate the true variability of the mummification program. This means that academic and popular accounts of Egyptian mummification need to recognize this variability, rather than uncritically accepting the Classical accounts. This study was also able to highlight potential associations for arm positioning and the treatment of cranial resin, likely based on geographic region and/or specific time periods. Ultimately, this research highlights the inevitable variability of the mummification program in post-New Kingdom Egypt as mummification became available to individuals of lower social status during the New Kingdom.

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