Secrets of the laboratory (jz) the mummification ritual on the southern wall of the burial chamber of Iufaa at Abusir
Abstract
The southern wall of the burial chamber of Iufaa contains a hitherto unknown version of the mummification ritual, describing the assignment of individual body parts to the deceased, their treatment with various ointments and unguents, wrapping in bandages, equipment with amulets, as well as the accompanying utterances of the embalmer priest. Like the opposite northern wall with the purification ritual, the text and its accompanying images has been carefully laid out, partially in a tabular form.
The title spans the entire length of the text, and underneath there is a list of ingredients and materials used in tabular form, followed by text in short columns, a band of vignettes depicting amulets, and two more sets of texts in short columns. As is the case of the purification ritual on the northern wall, the text is concluded by a representation of the lector priest.
Some of the amulets depicted and mentioned in the texts have the only parallels in amuletic depictions on mummy bandages (as published by Kockelmann 2008). As this is the last wall in the tomb to be subjected to a detailed study, it can be put into the context of the textual program of the entire burial chamber, which shows careful planning and awareness of its overall significance.