Unpublished Shroud of Djedhor at Hurghada Museum: Iconographic Examining and Conservation for Late Painted Linen

Abstract

The ancient Egyptians have done their best to preserve mummy corpses from decay and corruption. They have taken all measures from the Pre-dynastic period till the end of history aiming at the resurrection. One of these measures was the shroud. It was typically wrapped around the mummy after the mummification process and became important during the Late Period to Graeco -Roman because it has replaced the coffin itself. The authors aim to study in-depth this unpublished shroud of Djedhor’s coffin "TR 1.11.16.5(b), SR 4/ 11332(b)" by taking scenes, comparing it to other shrouds, and analyzing the performance. This paper also illuminates the religious significances which were behind the decorations and texts on this shroud in the shade of the coffin to introduce a complete image of the role of the shroud. The decorations of the shroud have been executed based on the plan for the whole coffin. All decorations were organized well aiming to resurrection. On the conservation side of the Djedhor’s shroud, the authors used multidisciplinary methodologies for description, documentation, and conservation of archaeological shroud at Hurghada Museum. Finally, we'll discuss some new explanations for the shroud's decorations in relation to other shrouds from the same time period.