The Egyptian Museum : Floor 2 : Hall 46 : Sarcophagus of Ahmes Meritamun

The Egyptian Museum: Floor 2 Hall 46

Sarcophagus of Ahmes Meritamun

This sarcophagus was found in 1929 in the rock-cut Tomb TT 358 in Deir al Bahari , in Luxor . Dating back to the Eighteenth Dynasty during the reign of Amenhotep I (1540-1525 BC) , it belongs to Ahmes Meritamon (also spelt Ahmose-Merytamon and Ahmose-Meritamun) , whose name means the “Child of the Moon , Beloved of Amun”) . She was the remarkable royal daughter of Ahmose I and Ahmose Nefertari , and became the Great Royal Wife of her brother Amenhotep I , the second ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty .

Made from cedar wood , this large anthropoid (mummy-shaped) sarcophagus pictures the image of the beautiful Queen . The body , inlaid with glass paste , is decorated with a long row of Hieroglyphics of the "Hetep-di-nesu Formula" of offerings for the deceased's ka and "Sarcophagus Texts" that runs all the way up to stop at the crossed hands at the chest . Typical to the decorations on sarcophagi in Thebes (present-day Luxor) in the Second Intermediate Period , this carving is known as rishi (from the Arabic word meaning "plumed") . The rest of the surface of the sarcophagus is ornamented with long feathers of birds which are thought to resemble the wings of the goddess Isis . With her fists only visible , she holds two papyrus-shaped scepters symbolizing youth and regeneration . Most fascinating is the large triple wig the Queen has over her head . It is carved into small arrow-like engravings painted blue on a yellow background . A fine decoration of geometric patterns covers the bust of the deceased which seems to be wrapped round with an elegant low narrow shawl .