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Nesyamun
Human Mummy
Nesyamun
Biographical Information
Name(s) Nesyamun (The Leeds Mummy)
Age Approximately 45
Sex Male
Status priest
Height
Source
Culture Ancient Egyptian Religion
Date(s) 1100 BC, reign of Ramesses XI
Site
Current Location
Location Leeds City Museum
Catalog #

Nesyamun was a priest, incense-bearer, and scribe at the ancient Egyptian temple complex at Karnak. He rose to the high rank of "waab priest" at the temple complex at Karnak, meaning he was permitted to approach the statue of Amun, then the foremost of the ancient Egyptian gods, in Karnak's sacred inner sanctum. He died around 1,100 BC.

Mummification[]

He was buried in a coffin, covered in spices, and wrapped in 40 layers of linen bandages. The coffin was painted with hieroglyphics from the Book of the Dead, which contain prayers for his safe passage to the afterlife.

Pathology[]

Nesyamun is thought to have died in his late 50s from a severe allergic reaction.

Studies[]

In 2020 researchers used interior medical scans to create a digital, 3D model of the insides of his throat and mouth, which were reproduced on a 3D printer, the 3D-printed vocal tract was then combined with an artificial larynx to recreate a single sound in Nesyamun's voice.

The tongue has lost much of its muscle bulk, and the soft palate is missing.

Additional[]

Otherwise known as The Leeds Mummy, he and his coffins are amongst the best researched of their kind.

He is a unique in that his mouth is open and his tongue sticking out. Usually embalmers would not leave the mouth of a mummy open. The significance is not understood.


References[]

Ancient Egypt: Death and the Afterlife. Retrieved November 8th, 2015. http://www.mylearning.org/ancient-egypt-death-and-the-afterlife

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