a Study of Egyptian Animal Mummy Styles

ongoing

The SEAMS project aims to investigate the wrapping weaves of votive animal mummies, a religious phenomenon which was widely spread throughout Egypt between the Third Intermediate Period and the Roman Period (1069 BCE-380 CE ca.). SEAMS is set to fill the gap in current knowledge on the contextual data of votive animal mummies and shed light on their manufacture through an innovative multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary methodology that integrates traditional research approaches with new technologies. This study has never been undertaken before since Egyptologists have long paid relatively little attention to these artefacts. The project will contribute to the advancement of this field by reconstructing the original integrity of the wrapping patterns of specimens held in international museums through photogrammetry, MSI techniques, and virtual restoration. The multi-scalar and cross analysis of the restored 3D replicas and their related data allows the recurring patterns to be identified and grouped into typologies. The stylistic assessment of recurring wrapping weaves combined with further information from archives, fieldwork, and CT-scans enables their occurrence within a specific period and/or site to be recorded and any potential meanings unravelled. Textile and experimental archaeology protocols are set to provide an understanding of how the bandages were held in tension, what the interweaving stages were, and which tools were used. Furthermore, a comprehensive account of the quality and quantity of the resources, technologies and efforts employed permits an evaluation of the economic weight of the wrapping procedures. The research outcomes are to be widely shared through open science practices, outreach activities, a free and open access visual repository, and a temporary exhibition on votive animal mummies that will contribute towards generating knowledge about these long-neglected artefacts.