Image Gallery
Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara
Mummy portrait of the head and shoulders of a dark-haired young woman from Hawara cemetery, Egypt, early 2nd century CE.
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London (with thanks to The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, UCL).
The Petrie Museum has the largest collection of these "portraits" outside of Egypt. Originally, these portraits were placed over the mummified body; these images were hailed as the first lifelike representations of real people on their first exhibition in London in 1888 CE. The portraits were excavated in 1888-1889 and 1910-1911. This woman wears a brown robe, gold earrings, and simple necklace. "Isarous" is written in Greek across the background. An analysis of the plate revealed the presence of beeswax as the binding medium.
Questions & Answers
Could women rule in ancient Egypt?
- There were queens in ancient Egypt - such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra VII - but this was generally frowned upon because the first divine king, the god Osiris, was male and so Egyptian monarchs were also.
Did women have equal rights in ancient Egypt?
- Women had nearly equal rights in ancient Egypt. Men were the heads of households and so were considered authority figures in other areas, but women could be supervisors, priestesses, overseers, and scribes.
What were some of the jobs performed by women in ancient Egypt?
- Women in ancient Egypt were basket-weavers, bakers, brewers, cooks, musicians, dancers, launderers, as well as scribes, estate managers, priestesses, artisans, weavers, professional mourners, and waitresses.
What was the most powerful position a woman could hold in ancient Egypt?
- After the Middle Kingdom, the most powerful position a woman could hold in ancient Egypt was God's Wife of Amun, the female counterpoint of the High Priest of Amun.
