the secrets of tomb 10a
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The Secrets of
Tomb 10A
In a 1915 excavation, archaeologists from the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Expedition discovered the entrance to a tomb at the picturesque site of Deir el-Bersha in
Egypt. Inside, the MFA team found, in jumbled array, the largest burial assemblage of the
Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 BC) ever discovered. The tomb, designated Tomb 10A, was filled
with the funerary equipment of a local governor by the name of Djehutynakht and his wife,
also named Djehutynakht. Robbers had stolen the finest jewels but left everything else,
including the severed (but nicely wrapped and painted) head of one of the Djehutynakhts. The
tomb contained four beautifully painted coffins, one of which, the famous "Bersha coffin" (the
outer coffin of the governor), is arguably the finest painted coffin Egypt produced and a
masterpiece of panel painting. The tomb also included Djehutynakht’s walking sticks, pottery,
canopic jar, and miniature wooden models that were made for the burial but reflect life on
Djehutynakht’s estate, including some 58 model boats and nearly three dozen models of daily
life such as individual shops for carpenters, weavers, brick-makers, bakers, and brewers. Of
these, the best known is the exquisitely carved "Bersha procession" of a male priest leading
female offering bearers. The contents of Djehutynakht’s tomb were awarded to the MFA by
the Egyptian government and transported to Boston in 1920. En route, they nearly met with
disaster when the ship that was carrying them caught fire. Thankfully, the crew averted
disaster, and the material suffered only slight water damage.
Djehutynakht, whose name means “(the god) Thoth is Strong,” is believed to have been a
governor, or nomarch, of the district of Hermopolis in Middle Egypt who lived during the reign
of one or more of three possible rulers of Dynasty 11 and 12: Mentuhotep III (2010-1998 BC),
Mentuhotep IV (1998–1991 BC), or Amenemhat I (1991-1961 BC). He also held the titles of
“controller of the two thrones” and “overseer of priests.” After the collapse of the Great
Pyramid age of the Old Kingdom (around 2143-2100 BC), there was no central government in
Egypt. This resulted in the formation of powerful provincial centers during the First
Intermediate Period (about 2100-2040 BC). The country was reunified in the Middle Kingdom,
but local governors still retained power. Because Hermopolis was at the juncture of the
previously warring northern and southern Egyptian kingdoms, as a high official, Djehutynakht
likely played a role in the politics of the region.
His tomb is located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the nearby modern village, about 186 miles
south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, across from the ancient site of Hermopolis. Tomb
10A was discovered in 1915 by MFA registrar Hanford Lyman Story, a member of the Harvard
University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition in Egypt (1915-1947) that is known
primarily for unearthing thousands of objects at Giza and amassing the largest archaeological
documentary archive of any expedition there. It was led by George Reisner, called the “Father
of American Egyptology,” a professor of Egyptology at Harvard who founded the expedition
and later became curator of the Egyptology Department at the MFA. The material discovered
at Deir el-Bersha was divided between the Boston expedition and the Egyptian government,
with the entirety of the jumbled contents of Tomb 10A awarded to Boston. Because of World
War I, objects were stored in Egypt for safekeeping, finally leaving for Boston in 1921. More
drama followed. The cargo ship carrying them caught fire, and the crates were damaged by
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water. Luckily, this final assault on the contents of the Djehutynakhts’ tomb was minor.
Excavation and Scientific Research
Documentary photos in The Secrets of Tomb 10A chronicle the 1915 excavation of the
necropolis at Deir el-Bersha, where archaeologists unearthed many burial shafts, largely
devoid of significant finds. That changed when they blasted away massive boulders and
discovered a shaft leading to Tomb 10A. The above-ground chapel of the tomb had been
quarried, destroying information about the inhabitants. The shaft itself showed signs of fire
and plunder, but team members continued to dig down 30 feet until they reached the bottom
and found, amidst the debris, the entrance to a burial chamber. Inside, they discovered a
chaotic scene with objects strewn throughout the small room by robbers in search of booty.
Providing an eerie greeting for the 20th-century visitors was a linen-wrapped painted head
perched on top of a coffin, appearing to observe the excavators. (Propped up in the far corner
was a limb-less, head-less torso. Determining it to be of little value for the Museum,
archeologists left it at the site.) Almost 95 years later, the mummy head is once again visible
in a small room in the exhibition, exactly the size of the original burial chamber.May 11, 1915, Photograph by Mohammed Shadduf, Harvard University-Boston Museum of
Fine Arts Expedition, Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
SOURCES:
http://www.mfa.org/
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2009/10/18/tomb_10a_lets_you_look_history_
right_in_the_face/
https://bu.digication.com/krinick/Tomb_10a_Response
http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2009/Home/October/Week3/RDMHomeOct1509.htm
http://nearchaeology.blogspot.it/2013_07_01_archive.html
http://arttattler.com/archivetomb10a.html
https://tinebagh.wordpress.com/category/mellemægypten/page/2/
http://cool.conservation-us.org/jaic/articles/jaic42-02-003.html
Video:
Curator Lawrence Berman interprets the funerary spells painted in hieroglyphics on an
extraordinary wooden coffin. Found in the tomb of Djehutynakht, a Middle Kingdom dignitary,
the elaborately painted coffin is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through May 16,
2010, along with a mummified head, miniature boats, and other mysteries of the afterlife in
The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC.
http://youtu.be/b6u7VlaL6_4
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View of the tomb of Governor Djehutynakht n. 10 shaft A located in Deir el-Bersha, named
after the nearby modern village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile,
across from the ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom (DÆS-rejsen marts 2007)
Sketch-plan of the MK nomarchal cemetery located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the nearby modern
village, about 18 miles south of !airo on the east bank of the "ile, across from the ancient site of
#ermopolis $ Middle Kingdom
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Plan of the tomb 10A (Governor Djehutynakht) located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the
nearby modern village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, across
from the ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom
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View down the shaft of tomb 10A located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the nearby modern
village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, across from the ancient
site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom , April 30, 1915 Harvard University—Boston Museum of
Fine Arts Expedition. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston / Photo: Mohammed Shadduf
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Models and other objects in situ, found in tomb 10A of Governor Djehutynakht located in Deir
el-Bersha, named after the nearby modern village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east
bank of the Nile, across from the ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom
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Inner and outer coffins of Governor Djehutynakht in situ (viewed from the burial shaft), tomb
10A located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the nearby modern village, about 186 miles southof Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, across from the ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle
Kingdom
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Pile of models and other objects in situ, found between the east wall of tomb 10A and the
outer coffin of Governor Djehutynakht located in Deir el-Bersha, named after the nearby
modern village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east bank of the Nile, across from the
ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom
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Statuette of Governor Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1126)
Wooden figure of a striding man. He is standing on a base. He wears a short wig that is
painted black. The eyes and eyebrows are also painted black. There are traces of yellow
plaster on the body. The arms are at his sides with doubled fists. The arms are separate
pieces, which fit into sockets at the shoulders. He wears a short skirt. The left leg is
advanced. The toes of his right foot are broken off and missing. He fits into sockets in the
rectangular base. The top of the pedestal is painted black, the sides are red.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
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Statuette of Lady Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1127)
Wooden standing female figure on a pedestal. Her lappet wig is painted black. The body and
base show traces of yellow paint. Her eyes and brows are outlined in black. She stands with
her arms at her sides, hands open. The figure is set in the pedestal by a transverse pin.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
Foreground: four storage jars (exhibition 2009-2010 MFA)
Left MFA (21.16695; 21.939 - 21.940 sealed with large mud stopper)Right MFA (21.938)
Background: Stoppered storage jars in situ, eastern niche of tomb 10A located in Deir el-
Bersha, named after the nearby modern village, about 186 miles south of Cairo on the east
bank of the Nile, across from the ancient site of Hermopolis / Middle Kingdom, May 2, 1915,
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston / Photo: Mohammed Shadduf
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Exhibition 2009-2010 MFA
http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/secrets-tomb-10a
http://www.rainydaymagazine.com/RDM2009/Home/October/Week3/RDMHomeOct1509.htm
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Front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1822)
The outer coffin of the local governor Djehutynakht of Deir el-Bersha is perhaps the finest
Middle Kingdom coffin in existence. Like the second coffin that once nested inside it, the
rectangular outer coffin was made of massive planks of imported cedar, pegged together and
decorated on both its inner and outer faces. The paintings and inscribed funerary texts were
intended to facilitate Djehutynakht's passage to the afterlife and to sustain his ka in eternity.
While coffins of later periods would feature elaborate exterior decoration, those of the early
Middle Kingdom were relatively plain on the outside, but beautifully embellished inside, where
the offering scenes often parallel those seen in painted tombs. The paintings on the interior of
Djehutynakht's coffin are masterpieces, exquisitely detailed in thick, vividly colored paint. The
artist's painstaking brush strokes and eloquent use of shading produced a level of realism
rarely surpassed in Egyptian art. The primary scene is on the left side of the coffin at the
location where Djehutynakht's head once faced. The focal point is an intricately decorated
false door through which the ka could pass between the afterlife and the world of the living.
Djehutynakht sits in front of the false door and receives an offering of incense. Before and
beneath him is a vast wealth of neatly piled offerings, including an oversized ceremonial wine jar, sacred oils, the legs and heads of spotted cattle, tables laden with fruits, vegetables,
meat, bread, and magnificently detailed geese. The two rows of large painted hieroglyphs
above the scene contain a funerary prayer requesting offerings from the king and the funerary
god Osiris on festival days. At the far right is the beginning of a menu giving a full list of
desired offerings. Inscribed below in neat columns of tiny, cursive hieroglyphs are the Coffin
Texts, a collection of funerary rituals and spells intended to protect and guide the dead on
their way to the afterlife. These texts continue around the coffin's interior.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
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Front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1822)
The outer coffin of the local governor Djehutynakht of Deir el-Bersha is perhaps the finest
Middle Kingdom coffin in existence. Like the second coffin that once nested inside it, the
rectangular outer coffin was made of massive planks of imported cedar, pegged together and
decorated on both its inner and outer faces. The paintings and inscribed funerary texts were
intended to facilitate Djehutynakht's passage to the afterlife and to sustain his ka in eternity.
While coffins of later periods would feature elaborate exterior decoration, those of the early
Middle Kingdom were relatively plain on the outside, but beautifully embellished inside, where
the offering scenes often parallel those seen in painted tombs. The paintings on the interior of
Djehutynakht's coffin are masterpieces, exquisitely detailed in thick, vividly colored paint. The
artist's painstaking brush strokes and eloquent use of shading produced a level of realism
rarely surpassed in Egyptian art. The primary scene is on the left side of the coffin at the
location where Djehutynakht's head once faced. The focal point is an intricately decorated
false door through which the ka could pass between the afterlife and the world of the living.
Djehutynakht sits in front of the false door and receives an offering of incense. Before and
beneath him is a vast wealth of neatly piled offerings, including an oversized ceremonial wine
jar, sacred oils, the legs and heads of spotted cattle, tables laden with fruits, vegetables,
meat, bread, and magnificently detailed geese. The two rows of large painted hieroglyphs
above the scene contain a funerary prayer requesting offerings from the king and the funerary
god Osiris on festival days. At the far right is the beginning of a menu giving a full list ofdesired offerings. Inscribed below in neat columns of tiny, cursive hieroglyphs are the Coffin
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Djehutynakht is shown seated as a servant brings food to the Nomarch. Djehutnakht is shown
as being much larger than his less important (and unnamed) servant. His lordship wears a
broad collar around his neck and has his staff of authority in one hand. The chair he is seated
on has a cloth cushion draped over the low "back" and has four legs carved to look like animallegs. Detail of front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1822)
Front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1822)
The outer coffin of the local governor Djehutynakht of Deir el-Bersha is perhaps the finest
Middle Kingdom coffin in existence. Like the second coffin that once nested inside it, the
rectangular outer coffin was made of massive planks of imported cedar, pegged together and
decorated on both its inner and outer faces. The paintings and inscribed funerary texts were
intended to facilitate Djehutynakht's passage to the afterlife and to sustain his ka in eternity.
While coffins of later periods would feature elaborate exterior decoration, those of the early
Middle Kingdom were relatively plain on the outside, but beautifully embellished inside, where
the offering scenes often parallel those seen in painted tombs. The paintings on the interior of
Djehutynakht's coffin are masterpieces, exquisitely detailed in thick, vividly colored paint. The
artist's painstaking brush strokes and eloquent use of shading produced a level of realism
rarely surpassed in Egyptian art. The primary scene is on the left side of the coffin at the
location where Djehutynakht's head once faced. The focal point is an intricately decorated
false door through which the ka could pass between the afterlife and the world of the living.
Djehutynakht sits in front of the false door and receives an offering of incense. Before and
beneath him is a vast wealth of neatly piled offerings, including an oversized ceremonial wine
jar, sacred oils, the legs and heads of spotted cattle, tables laden with fruits, vegetables,
meat, bread, and magnificently detailed geese. The two rows of large painted hieroglyphs
8/10/2019 The Secrets of Tomb 10A
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above the scene contain a funerary prayer requesting offerings from the king and the funerary
god Osiris on festival days. At the far right is the beginning of a menu giving a full list of
desired offerings. Inscribed below in neat columns of tiny, cursive hieroglyphs are the Coffin
Texts, a collection of funerary rituals and spells intended to protect and guide the dead on
their way to the afterlife. These texts continue around the coffin's interior.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
Two geese inter-twining their necks: detail of front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht /
MFA (20.1822). The detail in the feathers of the geese is the work of a master. The ancient
egyptians often represented food offerings being presented to the deceased and this scene is
an example of this. notice to the right of the geese, the small representation of a cow with itslegs bound together in preparation for slaughter. Below the cow is the foreleg of an animal (a
cow?) that has been cut off. Cow forelegs were eaten or presented to a statue of the
deceased as part of the "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony that took pace during the funeral.
Notice to the left of the geese there are three dead geese that have been piled up as an
offering to Djehutynakht. There is also the head of an Ibex, with its distinctive long horns,
below and to the left of the geese.
Front side panel of outer coffin of Djehutynakht / MFA (20.1822)
The outer coffin of the local governor Djehutynakht of Deir el-Bersha is perhaps the finestMiddle Kingdom coffin in existence. Like the second coffin that once nested inside it, the
8/10/2019 The Secrets of Tomb 10A
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-secrets-of-tomb-10a 20/33
rectangular outer coffin was made of massive planks of imported cedar, pegged together and
decorated on both its inner and outer faces. The paintings and inscribed funerary texts were
intended to facilitate Djehutynakht's passage to the afterlife and to sustain his ka in eternity.
While coffins of later periods would feature elaborate exterior decoration, those of the early
Middle Kingdom were relatively plain on the outside, but beautifully embellished inside, where
the offering scenes often parallel those seen in painted tombs. The paintings on the interior of
Djehutynakht's coffin are masterpieces, exquisitely detailed in thick, vividly colored paint. The
artist's painstaking brush strokes and eloquent use of shading produced a level of realism
rarely surpassed in Egyptian art. The primary scene is on the left side of the coffin at the
location where Djehutynakht's head once faced. The focal point is an intricately decorated
false door through which the ka could pass between the afterlife and the world of the living.
Djehutynakht sits in front of the false door and receives an offering of incense. Before and
beneath him is a vast wealth of neatly piled offerings, including an oversized ceremonial wine
jar, sacred oils, the legs and heads of spotted cattle, tables laden with fruits, vegetables,
meat, bread, and magnificently detailed geese. The two rows of large painted hieroglyphsabove the scene contain a funerary prayer requesting offerings from the king and the funerary
god Osiris on festival days. At the far right is the beginning of a menu giving a full list of
desired offerings. Inscribed below in neat columns of tiny, cursive hieroglyphs are the Coffin
Texts, a collection of funerary rituals and spells intended to protect and guide the dead on
their way to the afterlife. These texts continue around the coffin's interior.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1920)
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Head of the mummy of Djehutynakht / MFA (21.11767)
The mummified head of Djehutynakht is all that remained after the body was destroyed by
tomb robbers. The head displays a number of interesting features. The linen wrappings are
molded in the shape of the face, with the eyebrows rendered in black paint on the fabric. The
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mummy's hair, dark brown and wavy, is well preserved and visible through the worn
wrappings. (Fully mummified head, chin projection looks male, but all other features are
covered pictures 99-101.)
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
3D computer scans of the mummy head : http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/4283
Head of the mummy of Djehutynakht / MFA (21.11767)
The mummified head of Djehutynakht is all that remained after the body was destroyed by
tomb robbers. The head displays a number of interesting features. The linen wrappings are
molded in the shape of the face, with the eyebrows rendered in black paint on the fabric. The
8/10/2019 The Secrets of Tomb 10A
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-secrets-of-tomb-10a 23/33
mummy's hair, dark brown and wavy, is well preserved and visible through the worn
wrappings. (Fully mummified head, chin projection looks male, but all other features are
covered pictures 99-101.)
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
3D computer scans of the mummy head : http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/4283
Procession of model boats, Egyptian, Middle Kingdom, late Dynasty 11-early Dynasty 12,
2010-1961 B.C., Wood, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Harvard University-Boston Museum of
Fine Arts Expedition, Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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Along with a collection of wooden models representing scenes of daily life, Djehutynakht
equipped his tomb with a fleet of more than fifty-five model boats, the largest collection known
from a single Egyptian tomb. Several types of craft are represented, including funerary
vessels, boats for traveling, ships for troop or freight transport, hunting and fishing boats, and
kitchen boats of the sort that would have accompanied a Middle Kingdom official and his
entourage on voyages up and down the Nile. Although they vary in size and quality, all of
Djehutynakht's boat models are constructed in the same fashion, with the hull carved from a
single piece of wood, while the cabins, masts, other fittings, and crews were made separately
and attached with pegs.
Wide-hulled funerary vessels, like the example seen here the made of papyrus bundles
lashed together, transported the deceased either to a cemetery across the Nile or to the
sanctuary of the god of the afterlife, Osiris, at Abydos. Models of such vessels were painted
white with reddish lines representing the bindings. The prow and the upright, inward-curving
stern of this example terminate in rosettes imitating papyrus umbels, and the pair of eyes on
the prow were believed to provide magical guidance in steering the ship clear of obstacles. Onthe deck, a canopy encloses the bier that would have held the mummy of the deceased. The
two figures bent over at one end of the bier represent priests offering incense and recit-ing
funerary prayers before the body. The figure seated at the stern was responsible for
navigating by means of the pair of steering oars attached to stanchions. In the forward
section, a crew of sailors had to maneuver the sail, now missing on the model, and a lookout
was to watch for sandbars and other hazards.
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
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Model of a procession of offering bearers ("The Bersha Procession") / 2010–1961 B.C. (MK) /
MFA (21.326)
Among the more than one hundred wooden models found scattered throughout the tomb of
Djehutynakht, the quality of this procession of offering bearers stands out from the others. The
skill and delicacy with which it was carved and painted rank it among the finest wooden
models ever found in Egypt. It shows a man and three women bringing offerings to sustain the
ka of Djehutynakht in the afterlife. Each figure advances with the left leg forward, following the
convention of larger scale Egyptian sculpture and relief. A priest leads the way, carrying a
ceremonial wine jar and incense burner for use in the burial rites. Two women follow with
offerings of food and drink - the first carries a basket of bread and a duck, while the secondbrings another duck and a basket filled with beer jars. The third woman furnishes items for
Djehutynakht's personal care, a small wooden cosmetic chest and a mirror, the latter slung
over her shoulder in a case made of animal hide. This brief procession symbolically provides
all that was essential to sustain Djehutynakht in eternity: food, drink, items of personal
adornment, and the incense used to attract and appease divinities and the blessed dead.
The procession was found overturned between Djehutynakht's coffin and the eastern wall of
his burial chamber, in a pile of broken models that robbers had thrown aside. Although the
four figures remained attached when the model was discovered, the two central offering
bearers had lost their raised arms, and nearly all the offerings had come loose. Some pieceswere found a considerable distance away. Since its discovery, the scene has been
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reconstructed twice. The first attempt, carried out in 1941 before all the elements had been
identified, was incorrect. The current configuration was established in 1987.
Provenance
From Egypt, Deir el-Bersha, Tomb 10, pit A. May 1915: Excavated by the Harvard University–
Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the
government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
Details
http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/model-of-a-procession-of-offering-bearers-the-bersha-
procession-143592
Wooden model of a granary / 2010–1961 B.C. (MK) / MFA (21.409)
While late Old Kingdom tombs had included limestone statuettes of people engaged in chores
such as food preparation, a new development occurred during the First Intermediate Period
and Middle Kingdom. Now, models made of wood, a less costly material, were manufactured
in large numbers and placed in the burial chamber to furnish provisions for the deceased in
the afterlife. In symbolically providing for the tomb owner's needs, the models functioned in
much the same way as painted scenes of these activities did on the walls of tomb chapels.
The tomb of Djehutynakht contained what may be the largest collection of wooden models
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ever discovered in Egypt. At least thirty-nine of them, including this one, represent scenes of
food production and crafts. Upon opening the tomb, however, archaeologists discovered that
robbers had ransacked it in antiquity, possibly on more than one occasion, throwing the
models haphazardly around the small burial chamber. Only through years of research and
restoration are they being returned to their original configuration. The models vary greatly in
quality, and many of them were mounted on pieces of wood recycled by the artists from old
boxes or chests. The colorfully painted figures nevertheless convey a liveliness and energy
that give us a sense of the bustling activities of Egyptian daily life. They also demonstrate
innovative poses and subjects that would never have been attempted in the more formal
sculptures that represented the tomb owner and his family.
Food production is the dominant theme among the model scenes, and a variety of activities
are represented. The most common scene shows a group of three men at work in a granary
building. Grain was the basic unit of wealth and exchange in ancient Egypt, and careful
accounting of the crop was essential. Thus, in each granary we see one man carrying a filled
sack, while another bends down to measure grain into a bucket, and a seated scribe recordsthe quantity on a board held across his knees. Much of this grain was destined for the
production of bread and beer, staples of the Egyptian diet.
Toward the end of Dynasty 12 a change occurred in Egyptian burial customs for reasons that
remain unclear. Although model boats continued to be placed in tombs, the scenes of crafts
and food production disappeared permanently from the repertoire of funerary offerings. At
approximately the same time, early versions of shawabtys, mummiform figurines intended to
serve on behalf of the deceased in the afterlife, began to become more common in burials.
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
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Canopic jar of Djehutynakht / Cartonnage / MFA (21.424)
Canopic jar in the form of a human body. Arms are painted in black on the sides and the feet
are modeled. Bracelets and anklets are indicated with green and black stripes. The front is
inscribed with the name of Qebehsenuef, one of the Four Sons of Horus. The jar contains
fragments of the original contents, wrapped in linen.
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by theHarvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
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division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
Model set / 2010–1961 B.C.(MK)
Model lotus flowers /Cartonnage MFA (21.467a-c)
Cloth, coated with painted plaster, pink and brown. Two flowers on stems and two detached
flowers.
Model bowl/Cartonnage MFA (21.442)
Cloth and plaster, painted red inside and out, representing pottery vessel with bronze rim.
Model of a conical bread loaf /Cartonnage MFA (21.470)
Cloth, coated with white plaster, conical form. Good preservation.
Model of a conical bread loaf (or incense cone?) /Cartonnage MFA (21.937)
Cloth coated with plaster and painted orange with black tip. Worm eaten.
Model trussed duck/Cartonnage MFA (21.465)
Cloth and plaster. Badly decayed. Plaster is painted to resemble a plucked duck.
Model figs, onions, and garlic/Linen, gesso/ MFA (21.475)
Model food offerings including onions, garlic and figs. Each object was made of either a ball of
linen thread covered with plaster or a ball of thread wrapped in cloth and covered with plaster.Paint was then applied to the plaster.
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Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
%&Model mace $ %'1'(1)1 B*!* +MK $ M. +%1*81/
0ooden model mace ith a bulbous head2 part of a collection of %3' sticks and staves from the tombof D4ehutynakht*
5rovenancerom Deir el-Bersha, tomb 1', shaft . +tomb of D4ehutynakht* May 1)136 e7cavated by the #arvardniversity(Boston Museum of ine .rts 97pedition2 assigned to the M. in the division of finds bythe government of 9gypt* +.ccession Date6 March 1, 1)%1
Was-scepter / 2010–1961 B.C. (MK) / MFA (21.440)
Wooden was-scepter from a collection of 250 sticks and staves in the tomb of Djehutynakht
(Deir el-Bersha Tomb 10A).
Provenance
From Deir el-Bersha, tomb 10, shaft A (tomb of Djehutynakht). May 1915: excavated by the
Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the
division of finds by the government of Egypt. (Accession Date: March 1, 1921)
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In 1915, a team of American archaeologists in Bersha, Egypt, blasted through solid rock to
reach a tomb later to be designated as "10A." Inside this tomb they found a mummy, an
exquisitely-painted coffin and arguably the largest assemblage of burial artifacts ever
discovered from the Middle Kingdom. Because of the delicate power balance between the
king and local bureaucrats, the Middle Kingdom (the least known of the three ancient
Egyptian kingdoms) was a time of unprecedented splendor, as regional potentates were
lavished with rewards and buried in a style normally reserved for royalty. Tomb 10A was
prepared for one such potentate, Governor Djehutynakht, and its treasures--which survived
World War I, a ship's fire and nearly a century of basement storage--include jewelry, walking
sticks, a phenomenally large collection of model boats, architectural miniatures and even the
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severed (but nicely painted) head of Djehutynakht himself. Published to accompany a major
exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,The Secrets of Tomb 10A tells the story and
introduces the full breadth and meaning of these treasures for the first time. With more than
160 illustrations, it discusses the history, political intrigue and development of fine works of art
for both royalty and commoners at a time characterized by widespread prosperity and intense
artistic flourishing.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Secrets-Tomb-10A-Egypt/dp/0878467475
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