Egyptian linen cover for the deceased Harpakhem, Late Period-Roman Period, 664 B.C. – 200 A.D.
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This linen covering belongs to a set of nine bandages from the same mummy, which, thanks to the inscriptions on these bandages, has been identified as Harpakhem. The bandages come from the same sheet made of pure linen, which provides a robust but flexible texture. The inscriptions are made with a black ink that is well preserved since the scribe did not change his brush at any time, so the bandages did not suffer the corrosive effect of too thick ink.
The inscriptions on the bandages are passages from the Book of the Dead, so that a correlative text is created for the bandages where there are references to chapters 158, 160, 163 and 164.
In the case of bandage number 5, it is the continuation of bandage number 4, possibly because both were originally part of a single strip of cloth which could have been separated into two pieces by accident or because it was more convenient for embalmers. The text written on this band is an excerpt from Chapter 163, which comprises a rather long spell intended to ensure the physical preservation of the deceased, general well-being and freedom of action in the afterlife.
The fragment of the chapter collected in these bands reads as follows:
“I am the Soul of a God. But my body rests large and inert in the city of At-Habu; the Genie of this place extends his protection over the inanimate Body of Harthi. His shattered arm rests in the swamps of Senhakarha… O Divine Soul! The beating of your heart is not perceived either when you rise or when you stand! You rest, O Soul, beside your divine body, lying in the city of Sehna-Paikana”.
