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Who’s Your Mummy?: A Preliminary Look at Human Mummies and Skeletal Remains Recovered During the 2003 and 2004 Field Seasons at the Tell El-Hibeh Site, Middle Egypt
The Northern California Chapter of the supported American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) and the UC Berkeley Centers for Middle Eastern and Near Eastern Studies sponsored “Who’s Your Mummy?: A Preliminary Look at Human Mummies and Skeletal Remains Recovered During the 2003 and 2004 Field Seasons at the Tell El-Hibeh Site, Middle Egypt.” On April 17, 2005, Professor Robert M. Yohe II, of California State University, Bakersfield presented recent archaeological investigations by the Tell El-Hibeh research team, based at the University of California, Berkeley and under the direction of ARCE Executive Committee member Dr. Carol Redmount. The work has resulted in the discovery of numerous burial features at this important site, including a severely looted Late Roman crypt (SKU-1), a limestone tomb apparently used from Ptolemaic through Late Roman times (BC-1), and a Coptic mass burial exposed by a large looter pit (NGLP). These loci were discovered during a reconnaissance survey of the tell and surrounding areas in 2003 intended to identify tombs and associated human remains that exhibited the greatest risk for additional vandalism and looting. Initial evaluation of the SKU-1 materials indicated a minimum of 16 individuals dating to the 4th or 5th century C.E. Salvage operations conducted by the authors in the summer of 2004 resulted in the recovery of six partial human mummies and numerous artifacts (including painted cartonnage) from BC-1, and an additional six complete Coptic-aged mummies from NGLP. The NGLP mummies are of particular interest since the team’s initial observations suggest some efforts expended towards body preservation that are not typically noted in burials of this period. The preliminary results of the salvage operations at all three loci will be provided in this educational and worthwhile presentation.

Professor Robert M. Yohe II
Highlight Date: April 20, 2005