Mummy Masks Data Storage. The Recovery of Antique Papyri
In Ancient Egypt under Ptolemaic rule, the cartonnage for coffins and coffin masks was made of papyrus leaves. Large quantities of hand-written papyrus sheets that were no longer needed were stored in the writing rooms of the administration. These sheets were bought in batches by coffin-makers as waste paper. They used the principle known today as paper maché to make mummy coffins from six to eight layers of papyri glued together. This cartonnage was then given a coating of plaster made of gypsum and mortar, which was painted and often decorated with gold leaf as well. From the fragments of coffins and masks, to be found nowadays in the storages of nearly all Egyptian museums, conservators can recover the ancient documents that reveal some unexpected and exciting results.
07.07.06 – 25.02.07 I TUE to FRI 09.00-17.00, Tue 19.00-21.00, SAT and SUN
10.00 – 17.00
Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst, Hofgartenstraße, 80333 München,
see site map 20
