This is an impressive exhibit at the MFA. It took a century to restore many of the artifacts found in Tomb 10A in Egypt. The tomb had been ransacked and most jewels and valuables were taken from the caskets and from around the tomb. It’s fascinating to see everything recreated and to learn how wealthy Egyptians were buried and prepared for a “journey” to the afterlife.
WELL-KEPT SECRETS
He or She?—Through the years, scholars have tried to determine if the mummified head found in Tomb 10A was that of Governor Djehutynakht or Lady Djehutynakht. They also would like to know the cause of death and how old he/she was at the time of death. DNA tests are currently being conducted on a molar recently extracted from the head by doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital, who sent it to medical examiners in an attempt to solve this mystery.
Open and Shut Case—When the mummified head was examined at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals, the mystery of why several facial bones had been removed was solved. It appears the brain—in addition to being extracted the traditional ancient Egyptian way, through the nose—was also partially removed through the base of the skull at the back of the head. Additionally, bones and muscles were removed from the cheeks, possibly in keeping with the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, an important funerary ritual of ancient Egypt that restored the use of the mouth for the deceased to eat, drink, and breathe in the afterlife.
Where’s the Loot?—Although tomb robbers stole most of the items in the tomb made of precious metals and jewels, they left behind great treasures of another kind—masterworks of Egyptian art—such as the famous “Bersha coffin,” the finest painted coffin ever discovered in Egypt, and the Procession of offering bearers (c. 2040–1926 BC), a wooden model that was among approximately 100 models found scattered throughout Tomb 10A. Because of its delicate carving and detailed painting, it is the most notable one of its kind found in Egypt.
Cast a Spell—The Djehutynakhts’ coffins are inscribed with an abundance of Coffin Texts, filling 2,807 columns. Djehutynakht’s outer coffin has 175 powerful spells depicted in hieroglyphs, and the inner one has 201; Lady Djehutynakht’s has 92 spells on the outer coffin, and 127 on the inner one.
Room with a View— Painted on both the inside and outside of his coffin were two pairs of wedjat eyes—depicting the Eye of Horus, a protective symbol—which gave Djehutynakht a window seat on his journey to the afterlife. When the coffin was brought from Egypt to the MFA in the 1920s, the left eye of Horus on the outside of Djehutynakht’s coffin was gone. However, in preparing objects for The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC, MFA conservator Pamela Hatchfield discovered the missing fragment. Lost since antiquity, the left wedjat eye has been restored for the exhibition as originally intended. Ironically, this story of the coffin’s “wandering eye” parallels ancient Egyptian mythology, which recounts how Seth (the brother of the god, Osiris, and uncle of Osiris’ son, Horus) rents the left eye (which represents the moon) of the sky god Horus, but that after much searching, the moon god Thoth finds the pieces and uses his magic to make the eye of Horus whole again. Using her own modern-day magic, Hatchfield has stabilized and strengthened the missing wood fragment, cleaned the surface, consolidated the flaking paint, and reattached the piece—restoring full sight to the eye of Horus.
This Way Out—A false door modeled on a palace doorway was painted inside Djehutynakht’s coffin to connect the worlds of the living and the dead.
Bottoms Up!—Beer was a staple of daily Egyptian life, and legend has it that the god Osiris taught humans how to make it. Even children drank beer because it was considered nutritious. Four sealed beer jars were discovered in the governor’s tomb, and one will be opened at some point during the exhibition.
Ancient GPS—The Book of Two Ways offered a map to the afterlife; such maps first appeared in non-royal tombs in the Middle Kingdom.
Packing List—Objects found in the tomb match the friezes on Djehutynakht’s coffin depicting foodstuffs, animals, incense, and other items that he would need in the next life.
At Your Service—Wooden models of servants in action were a mainstay of tomb furniture, especially in early Dynasty 12. Then—with the exception of model boats, used to carry one’s ka, or life force, to the afterlife—they all but disappeared. Shawabtys, static human figures intended to perform any task, replaced them in the late Middle Kingdom.
Puzzling Find—About 1,000 wooden body parts—broken apart when the tomb was looted—had to be matched and reattached to their original models of servants before they could be displayed at the MFA. Five conservators, including one from the Cairo Museum, spent approximately 10,000 hours reassembling the pieces like a giant jigsaw puzzle. For the first time since the 100 models were placed in Tomb 10A about 4,000 years ago, these miniatures of daily life and representations of Djehutynakht’s boats will be seen assembled together.
[information from a press release issued by the MFA]
