<em>Ibis Mummy</em>, 664–332 B.C.E. Animal remains, linen, cartonnage, pigment, 23 × 7 × 4 in. (58.4 × 17.8 × 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1986E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1986E_threequarter_PS2.jpg)

Ibis Mummy, 664–332 B.C.E. Animal remains, linen, cartonnage, pigment, 23 × 7 × 4 in. (58.4 × 17.8 × 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1986E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1986E_threequarter_PS2.jpg)

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What is the ibis mummy

Hi! An ibis is a type of water bird with a long, curved beak. The ancient Egyptians associated them with Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing.

There were certain temples where the priests bred the birds specifically to be mummified and sold to the public for making donations to the god.

Thank you!!

What did the ibis symbolize something that made them so popular?

Their long beak resembled the reed pens used by scribes, which is how they came to be associated with the god Thoth.

What was the significance of the Ibis?

The ibis is associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom. The birds long, curving beak resembles the reed used by scribes to write.

The Egyptians believed that animals had souls and that a mummified ibis could carry messages to Thoth. We know that people asked for things like help with family, work, etc. Similar to things we would want help with today!

Thank you.

Tell me more.

This small human shaped mummy actually contains an ibis which would have been offered to Thoth, the god of wisdom.

Ibis mummies were some of the most often donated in ancient Egypt. As many as two million ibis mummies were donated at Saqqara alone!

Thanks!

Ibis Mummy

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

The shape of this animal mummy resembles that of a human mummy or the figure of the god Osiris, king of the dead. The painted plaster remains of an elaborate headdress, like those worn by kings, and a curved beard also emphasized for an Egyptian viewer this mummy’s close connection with Osiris.

The X-ray shows a complete ibis inside the wrappings.

MEDIUM Animal remains, linen, cartonnage, pigment

Reportedly From: Saqqara, Egypt

DATES 664–332 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 26, or later

PERIOD Late Period to Ptolemaic Period

DIMENSIONS 23 × 7 × 4 in. (58.4 × 17.8 × 10.2 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.1986E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Mummified Ibis. Head given a cartonnage mask, now broken.

EXHIBITIONS

Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Ibis Mummy, 664–332 B.C.E. Animal remains, linen, cartonnage, pigment, 23 × 7 × 4 in. (58.4 × 17.8 × 10.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1986E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.1986E_threequarter_PS2.jpg)

IMAGE 37.1986E_threequarter_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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