Object Details
Collector
Unknown
Donor Name
E F. Brylawski
Notes
IN THE FORM OF A SEATED BABOON. PROBABLY FROM THE HELLENISTIC-ROMAN PERIOD AND OF THE TYPE PRESENTED AT CEREMONIES HONORING A GOD. THE BABOON SYMBOLIZED THE GOD OF WISDOM, THOTH. (THIS INFORMATION PROVIDED BT DR. GUS VAN BEEK, CURATOR OF OLD WORLD ARCHEOLOGY, NMNH, 1992). X-RAYS TAKEN IN 1992 BY DAVID HUNT, MUSEUM SPECIALIST IN PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, NMNH, SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF SKELETAL MATERIAL. SURFACE BADLY ERODED ON LOWER PORTION.
From NMNH Exhibit Hall "Eternal Life in Ancient Egypt" label for this artifact, 2011: Baboon-shaped mummy, 332-30 B.C. This mummy looks like a baboon, but the CT scan shows only linen scraps and a wooden stick inside. Baboons went extinct in Egypt well before the fifth century BC, and Egyptians imported them from Nubia and other southern countries - something only the wealthy could afford. Baboon offerings honored Thoth.
Record Last Modified
1 Apr 2025
Specimen Count
1
Culture
Egyptian, Late Period, Dynasty XXVI (?)
Accession Date
22 Jan 1992
Collection Date
1959
Accession Number
390890
USNM Number
A542222-0
Object Type
Animal Mummy
Length - Object
31.5 cm
Width - Object
24.5 cm
Place
Not Given, Egypt, Africa
See more items in
Anthropology
Data Source
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
Topic
Archaeology
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmnhanthropology_8297238