Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
by
published on 24 March 2016
Subscribe to author
Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara Download Full Size Image

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.

Remove Ads
Advertisement
Subscribe to this author

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.

Add External Link

External Links

Mummy Portraits of Roman Egypt
getty.edu

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2016, March 24). Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4781/female-mummy-portrait-hawara/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 24, 2016. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/4781/female-mummy-portrait-hawara/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Female Mummy Portrait, Hawara." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 24 Mar 2016. Web. 22 Feb 2025.

Membership