Egyptian rock crystal bottle from an Opening of the Mouth set, Old Kingdom, Circa 2592-2118 BC
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Solid bottle made from rock crystal, with an elongated neck and a cylindrical shape with an open mouth and an oval body whose lower part ends in a spout. This bottle was part of a set of instruments that were necessary for the ceremonial opening of the mouth of the deceased.
The mouth-opening ceremony was performed in Ancient Egypt on mummies to ensure that the deceased would fully recover all their senses (speech, sight and hearing) so that they could eat, drink, speak, hear, smell and see in the afterlife.
Once the deceased had recovered their senses, the sacrifice of one of the oxen that had taken part in a funeral procession was carried out.
Finally, after “cleaning” the bandages covering the eyes and mouth, a copy of the Book of the Dead was placed inside the coffin and carried to the burial chamber.
Among the instruments used in this 75-step ritual were several hoes, a fish-tailed staff called a pesesh-kef, a knife decorated with the head of a snake, two bottles and four vessels.
