Encaustic Mummy Portrait, Hawara

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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published on 28 March 2016
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Encaustic Mummy Portrait, Hawara Download Full Size Image

Mummy portrait of a man known as Petrie's "red youth" from Hawara cemetery, Egypt. 1st-2nd centuries 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. The portraits were excavated in 1888-1889 and 1901-1911. This man has a curly light beard and a mustache. It appears that a sharp tool was used to delineate the shape of the face, ears, and eyebrows.

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

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Mummy Portraits of Roman Egypt
getty.edu

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APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, March 28). Encaustic Mummy Portrait, Hawara. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4777/encaustic-mummy-portrait-hawara/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Encaustic Mummy Portrait, Hawara." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 28, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4777/encaustic-mummy-portrait-hawara/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Encaustic Mummy Portrait, Hawara." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 28 Mar 2016. Web. 22 Feb 2025.

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