Collection
/
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Ibis Mummy

664–30 B.C.E.

1 of 2

Object Label

Though both of these mummies originally had elaborate wrappings, it is impossible to predict from the wrappings exactly what lies inside the package. CT scans and X-rays reveal that one ibis is complete and the other mummy contains feathers but no skeleton. The fragmentary one might represent a corrupt practice that cheated the worshipper of a complete animal.

The mummy decorated with a herringbone pattern is complete.

Caption

Ibis Mummy, 664–30 B.C.E.. Animal remains, linen, 15 11/16 × 7 1/2 × 6 in. (39.8 × 19.1 × 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.2042.7E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.2042.7E_PS9.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Ibis Mummy

Date

664–30 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 26, or later

Period

Late Period to Ptolemaic Period

Geography

Reportedly from: Saqqara, Egypt

Medium

Animal remains, linen

Classification

Remains, Animal

Dimensions

15 11/16 × 7 1/2 × 6 in. (39.8 × 19.1 × 15.2 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

37.2042.7E

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Are the animal mummies wrapped in an additional netting? Or is that original

    Yes, the mummies are all in a very fine modern netting used for conservation purposes. Good eye!
    Oh wow, that’s cool!

  • 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.

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