DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3389#0022
14
THE WRAPPING OF MUMMIES
became less common then, the Flavian style of
women will have little decoration, while men's
mummies were commoner in the later Flavian when
gilt decoration had come into use. This divided the
Flavian age into two periods: (i) women's portraits
commonest, and no gilding ; (2) men's portraits more
usual, and gilding.
29. So far we have only dealt with general labels
of style, Flavian, Antonine, etc. ; but we ought to
translate those into dates. Though the limits of
possibility are wide, yet it seems most probable that
we should view the facts as follows :
Wedge-faced mummy, 40 A.D. and onwards.
Papyrus of Tiberius ten or twenty years old when lost
in filling grave.
Gilt-faced head-piece of Titos Flavios, 100 A.D.,
twenty or thirty years after he took the name.
Papyrus about 160 A.D., copy of register of 127
A.D., buried 180 A.D. with woman No. 18, along with
man imitating Verus of 170 A.D.
Style of women's hair about a generation after
Roman fashion. Say Flavian 100-130 A.D., Trajan-
Hadrian 130-170 A.D., Antonine 170-190 A.D., Aure-
lian 190-210 A.D.
Style of men ten years after Imperial fashion.
Shaven 100-130 A.D., Hadrian style 130-150, An-
tonine 150-170, Aurelian 170-190 A.D.
Such seems the most probable adjustment of the
facts, looking to the chances of variation by different
causes.
So in general terms we should place the Hawara
portraits of good work 100-150 A.D., medium 150-200
A.D., poor 200-250 A.D., thus closely agreeing with
the general art of that age.
30. The variety of race shown is considerable.
The population of the Fayum margin was Egyptian ;
the Ptolemies had dried up the Lake and planted
colonies of veterans upon the reclaimed land. This
Greek population had then been mixed with various
other people in course of the cosmopolitan trade that
went on. There seems very little of the Egyptian
element, only No. 2 shows an African touch. The
Greek apparently predominates, as in 12, 13, 31, 51,
57, 58 ; the few names that are found are also Greek.
No. 5 with long curls is probably Macedonian, and
11 and 27 are both apparently northern types. The
Italian is seen in the fair boy 25 and probably in 42.
43. 45) 53> 54! the south Italian in 19 and 59. 36
has the mode of hair, the low head and wide face,
of Trajan, and is therefore probably Spanish ; but a
resemblance to the Moor or Shawyeh type suggests
a Moresque Spaniard. The caste mark on No. 3
points to an eastern connection, but the type is
northern rather than southern, therefore perhaps
Syrian. No. 29 has been noted by many observers
as Indian in style, and perhaps also 21. Indians
were apparently much admired ; for at Koptos, the
port of the Indian trade, there was a very-heavy duty
on women coming in from the Red Sea, shewing
that there was a great demand for them. Thus the
various types seen here, ranging from Spain to India,
accord with the mixture of people that was going
on through the active commercial intercourse of the
Roman Empire.
CHAPTER V
THE WRAPPING OF MUMMIES.
31. In this chapter will be placed together the de-
tails of the wrappings of the mummies, external and
internal.
The diagonal winding of the bandages around the
mummy became developed into a complex system ;
and the triumphs of this decoration seem almost
incredibly skilful. The diagonal lines of bandage
were in a few cases square with each other; but
almost always they met in a rhombic form, and
hence this style is called the rhombic bandage, and
the number of layers in the rhomb is noted. A very
fine example, almost square, is that of Heron (pi. x,
3) which has thirteen layers of different colours. The
portion shown here is turned with the mummy
diagonal to the page, in order to place the inscription
level. The most perfect example is the girl's mummy
(xi, 2) now at Liverpool. The portrait is unfortun-
ately much spoiled, but it has been one of the best
heads of children known. The bandaging is per-
fectly regular over the body, and round the head and
below the feet, without a single flaw in the system ;
yet without any adhesive, or sewing, or pins, to re-
tain the strips in place over the corners and curves.
The layers of the bandages are, gilt on the outside,
then red, white, red, white, red, white, blue, white, red,
white, brown, white, thirteen layers in all.
32. A development of this system began with
placing a piece of base gold-foil at the bottom of each
rhomb, so as to show in the middle space. A very
fine example of such wrapping was found at
Hawara (pi. xiii, 4) and kept at Cairo, as this stage
was unknown before. The pieces of gold-foil were
about 2 inches square, but only about \ inch
square was visible. The idea appears to have been
THE WRAPPING OF MUMMIES
became less common then, the Flavian style of
women will have little decoration, while men's
mummies were commoner in the later Flavian when
gilt decoration had come into use. This divided the
Flavian age into two periods: (i) women's portraits
commonest, and no gilding ; (2) men's portraits more
usual, and gilding.
29. So far we have only dealt with general labels
of style, Flavian, Antonine, etc. ; but we ought to
translate those into dates. Though the limits of
possibility are wide, yet it seems most probable that
we should view the facts as follows :
Wedge-faced mummy, 40 A.D. and onwards.
Papyrus of Tiberius ten or twenty years old when lost
in filling grave.
Gilt-faced head-piece of Titos Flavios, 100 A.D.,
twenty or thirty years after he took the name.
Papyrus about 160 A.D., copy of register of 127
A.D., buried 180 A.D. with woman No. 18, along with
man imitating Verus of 170 A.D.
Style of women's hair about a generation after
Roman fashion. Say Flavian 100-130 A.D., Trajan-
Hadrian 130-170 A.D., Antonine 170-190 A.D., Aure-
lian 190-210 A.D.
Style of men ten years after Imperial fashion.
Shaven 100-130 A.D., Hadrian style 130-150, An-
tonine 150-170, Aurelian 170-190 A.D.
Such seems the most probable adjustment of the
facts, looking to the chances of variation by different
causes.
So in general terms we should place the Hawara
portraits of good work 100-150 A.D., medium 150-200
A.D., poor 200-250 A.D., thus closely agreeing with
the general art of that age.
30. The variety of race shown is considerable.
The population of the Fayum margin was Egyptian ;
the Ptolemies had dried up the Lake and planted
colonies of veterans upon the reclaimed land. This
Greek population had then been mixed with various
other people in course of the cosmopolitan trade that
went on. There seems very little of the Egyptian
element, only No. 2 shows an African touch. The
Greek apparently predominates, as in 12, 13, 31, 51,
57, 58 ; the few names that are found are also Greek.
No. 5 with long curls is probably Macedonian, and
11 and 27 are both apparently northern types. The
Italian is seen in the fair boy 25 and probably in 42.
43. 45) 53> 54! the south Italian in 19 and 59. 36
has the mode of hair, the low head and wide face,
of Trajan, and is therefore probably Spanish ; but a
resemblance to the Moor or Shawyeh type suggests
a Moresque Spaniard. The caste mark on No. 3
points to an eastern connection, but the type is
northern rather than southern, therefore perhaps
Syrian. No. 29 has been noted by many observers
as Indian in style, and perhaps also 21. Indians
were apparently much admired ; for at Koptos, the
port of the Indian trade, there was a very-heavy duty
on women coming in from the Red Sea, shewing
that there was a great demand for them. Thus the
various types seen here, ranging from Spain to India,
accord with the mixture of people that was going
on through the active commercial intercourse of the
Roman Empire.
CHAPTER V
THE WRAPPING OF MUMMIES.
31. In this chapter will be placed together the de-
tails of the wrappings of the mummies, external and
internal.
The diagonal winding of the bandages around the
mummy became developed into a complex system ;
and the triumphs of this decoration seem almost
incredibly skilful. The diagonal lines of bandage
were in a few cases square with each other; but
almost always they met in a rhombic form, and
hence this style is called the rhombic bandage, and
the number of layers in the rhomb is noted. A very
fine example, almost square, is that of Heron (pi. x,
3) which has thirteen layers of different colours. The
portion shown here is turned with the mummy
diagonal to the page, in order to place the inscription
level. The most perfect example is the girl's mummy
(xi, 2) now at Liverpool. The portrait is unfortun-
ately much spoiled, but it has been one of the best
heads of children known. The bandaging is per-
fectly regular over the body, and round the head and
below the feet, without a single flaw in the system ;
yet without any adhesive, or sewing, or pins, to re-
tain the strips in place over the corners and curves.
The layers of the bandages are, gilt on the outside,
then red, white, red, white, red, white, blue, white, red,
white, brown, white, thirteen layers in all.
32. A development of this system began with
placing a piece of base gold-foil at the bottom of each
rhomb, so as to show in the middle space. A very
fine example of such wrapping was found at
Hawara (pi. xiii, 4) and kept at Cairo, as this stage
was unknown before. The pieces of gold-foil were
about 2 inches square, but only about \ inch
square was visible. The idea appears to have been