Falcon Mummy
Place made:Egypt
Culture: Egyptian
Period: Late Period-Roman Period
Date: ca. 712 B.C.-A.D. 395
Medium: Falcon remains and linen
Dimensions:
h. 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm); w. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Beryl and Hank McCleary
Object number: 2003.50.3
Provenance: acquired by Beryl Nowlin McCleary and Henry G. McCleary (1922-2008) in Egypt, 1963-1967; Henry and Beryl McCleary, by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2003
Published References
S. M. Schellinger and J. Powers, "Sacred Beasts: Conserving the Animal Mummies in the San Antonio Museum of Art," Scribe: The Magazine of the American Research Center in Egypt (Fall 2020) 16-25.
S. M. Schellinger, “Scientific Analysis of Animal Mummies at the San Antonio Museum of Art,” in Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Science of Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technologies (SAEMT), eds. B. Gehad and A. Quiles (Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale, 2022), 197-210.
Label Text
(Group label with 2003.50.2)
These mummies contain complete falcon skeletons. The X-ray of the left mummy shows the falcon with the wings folded in close to the body and the legs outstretched. The limbs are bent slightly and the skull appears to be pointing upwards from the neck.
The mummy on the right is wrapped in a nontraditional manner. It is possible that its limbs were removed and replaced in the incorrect position. The sharp angle of the head and neck in relation to the lower spine, visible in the X-ray, indicates that this bird was decapitated.
The darkness of the wrappings of both of these mummies is probably the result of dipping the birds in hot resin after mummification.
(Sarah Schellinger, 2018)
These mummies contain complete falcon skeletons. The X-ray of the left mummy shows the falcon with the wings folded in close to the body and the legs outstretched. The limbs are bent slightly and the skull appears to be pointing upwards from the neck.
The mummy on the right is wrapped in a nontraditional manner. It is possible that its limbs were removed and replaced in the incorrect position. The sharp angle of the head and neck in relation to the lower spine, visible in the X-ray, indicates that this bird was decapitated.
The darkness of the wrappings of both of these mummies is probably the result of dipping the birds in hot resin after mummification.
(Sarah Schellinger, 2018)
Not on view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
