The discovery of an unidentified and unexplained mummy, labelled Unknown Man E, in the Royal Cache tomb in Ancient Thebes, prompted the author to write this fascinating and informative book. If you are into mummies, this is definitely one for you, covering as it does comprehensive yet highly accessible and evocative descriptions of the individual mummies.
He cites in minute detail the different mummification methods employed, with references to the evolving techniques that took into account variable climatic and environmental conditions of the time. Charts and tables with titles as wonderfully explicit as Excerebration and Evisceration or Pose and Colour, log every conceivable point of interest for Egyptologists and morticians alike. The final two chapters return to Unknown Man E and, drawing on the evidence from the first part of the book, speculate on his manner of death and his identity with the solution to both remaining enticingly inconclusive – an ancient murder mystery indeed. This book, the fourth of a series of four on the royal mummies of Thebes, is ideal for both dipping in and out of, and for detailed study by the more dedicated enthusiast.
This article is an extract from the full article published in World Archaeology Issue 38. Click here to subscribe