A Priest in the Temple of Karnak, Egypt
Museum Object Number: E14344B
Image Number: 35010
THE cartonnage shown in Plate XI contains the mummy of a priest named Neb-Neteru who held the offices of “divine father of the god Amen,” and “wab priest who entered into ‘The-Most-Select-of-Places’” (i. e. Karnak Temple). The wab, literally “libationer,” was an ordinary priest whose duties are referred to in Chapter I of the Theban Recension of The Book of the Dead. The name Neb-Neteru, which means “The Lord of the Gods,” indicating that the deceased was named after the usual epithet of the solar god Amen-Ra, is elliptical in form and should really be written Nesi-Neb-Neteru, “He who belongs to the Lord of the Gods.” Neb-Neteru’s father was a “wab priest of Amen” named Khensu-mes, “The god Khensu has given birth.” Both father and son evidently officiated in the great temple at Karnak.
On the case arc the cartouche of King Amenophis I of the Eighteenth Dynasty, who ascended the throne of Egypt in 1557 n. c. and who was the beneficent patron of the brotherhood of the priests of the god Amen. His name is found on the coffins of many members of this brotherhood, who regarded as a duty the commemoration of the name of their benefactor. Neb-Neteru lived at a period later than the reign of this king.
The case itself is made of layers of linen with plaster run in between them, the whole being shaped to represent the deceased in mummified form. When the mummy had been placed inside the case the edge of the sheets of plastered linen of which the case was formed were sewn together down the back. Painted on the case in bright colour are various protecting vignettes and texts from The Theban Recension of The Book of The Dead.