Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (14.2002(2003))

MARINA EL-ALAMEIN

EGYPT

(Figs. 1A,1B). The comparison of the
reconstruction and the portrait for the
Glyptotek mummy suggested some incon-
sistencies. The portrait and the reconstruc-
tion were very different in facial features
and proportions and appeared to show
individuals of different ages and racial
origins (Fig. 1C). The reconstruction of the
Metropolitan Museum mummy also ap-
peared to show inconsistencies to the
portrait, but these differences were subtler.
The facial proportions and many facial
features matched closely, but the portrait
revealed the face of a somewhat younger
man with a narrower nose (Fig. ID). These

four mummies yielded somewhat different
results, but each gave some insight into the
accuracy of the portraits. However, the
numbers included in the study were very
small, too small to draw any general con-
clusions, and it was the hope of the
researchers that further studies could be
carried out on other mummies to shed ad-
ditional light on these enigmatic portraits.
An opportunity to carry out further
research came about through Professor
Daszewski, head of the Archaeological
Mission of the Polish Centre of Archaeology
in Cairo (Warsaw University) at the Marina
el-Alamein site in Northern Egypt.20)


Fig. 1. Mummy portraits and their facial reconstruction: A and B — male and female from the
British Museum collection; C — male from the Carls berg Glyptotek collection: D — male
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection (Reconstruction photos C. Wilkinson,
Unit of Art in Medicine, University of Manchester; portraits S. Walker, Ancient Faces,
Rout ledge, New York 2000)
20) W.A. Daszewski, “Excavations at Marina el-Alamein 1987-1988”, MDAIK46 (1990), 15-51; id., PAM II, Reports 1990
(199D, 3Off.; id., PAM III, Reports 1991 (1992), 33-34; id., PAM IV, Reports 1992 (1993), 28; id., PAM VIII, Reports 1996
(1997), 73-75; id., PAM X, Reports 1998 (1999), 43-46; id., PAM XI, Reports 2000 (2001), 54-56.

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