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(More customer reviews)One of the great things I love about living near New York City is that I have an opportunity to go and visit the many museums there. My favourite is The Metropolitan Museum of Art, especially their Egyptian galleries, one of the best in the world to be found outside of Egypt herself. And one of my guilty pleasures is to purchase the catalogs of any traveling exhibits that capture my fancy. Sometimes, in the case of exhibits outside of the New York area, it's the only way that I can visit a special collection of artifacts.
Such was the case when I heard about the special exhibit centered around an Egyptian mummy that had been found near the ancient city of Thebes. Meresamun, as her intact coffin and mummy named her, was a temple singer in the service of Amun, the deity whose worship was centered around Thebes. The time was about 800 BCE when she died, and she was about thirty or so years of age. In 2009, a special exhibition was arranged at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, Illinois, that displayed the mummy and her coffin, along with a variety of objects that would have been used by her, in both of her roles as an Egyptian woman of some status, and as a priestess of the god Amun.
This companion volume to the exhibition is a handsome one, oversized with plenty of pictures and illustrations along with a series of informative essays that look at Meresamun's life both inside and outside her duties as a temple singer. Edited by Emily Teeter and Janet H. Johnson, there are essays about how Meresamun's mummy was acquired, what the coffin was made of and how she was embalmed, along with a discussion of the symbols and writings on the coffin. The life of Meresamun in the greater world of Egypt, during the Third Intermediate Period, where the centralized government had failed, and Thebes was just as much a capital as the city of Tanis where the Pharaoh currently ruled.
For me the most interesting part of the catalog was the section that was given over to Meresamun's duties within the temple of Amun. There are discussions of musical instruments such as sistrums and menat-necklaces, along with clappers, drums and stringed instruments as well as vocal pieces. Three times a day, the god's shrine was opened and offerings of food, linen, incense and ointment were made, along with various ritual music being performed. Interestingly, Meresamun would have only been required to serve one month in four in the temple, and the rest of the time was hers to do with as she pleased. Temple singers were handsomely paid, and she would have been free to pursue other interests. Another interesting fact that I found was that often the job of temple singer or priest would be handed down in families, there being no requirements for celibacy to serve the god.
Finally, there is an essay discussing the examination of Meresamun's coffin and mummy by CT Scan, which meant that the coffin and its contents would remain undisturbed while new information about Meresamun's age and medical condition could be found out.
Each section is lavishly illustrated, with photographs that show musical instruments, wall and relief art, the mummified remains of various animals, small objects used for storing or using cosmetics, and jewelry. Even the flat dishes and sticks used in spinning are shown. It is these objects that give real personality to the find, and it is easy to see Meresamun using them either in daily life or during her religious duties. They helped to establish her as an ordinary person, without the awe that would have surrounded royalty and so, a bit easier to understand and empathize with.
Along with the essays and photographs, there is a map of ancient Egypt, a bibliography and index, along with a catalog listing of the various items in the exhibit, and suggestions for further reading.
The writing style is easy to follow, with not much use of archaeological or scholarly jargon to scare off the general reader. While it does get a bit dry in spots, it still can keep the reader engaged and entertained. For anyone who is interested in ancient Egypt, especially in either music or temple rituals, this is a book not to be missed. It is not cheap, however, and it took me some time to find a copy of this.
Overall, this was a great read, and a good addition to my collection of books on ancient Egypt. Four stars overall and happily recommended.
The original exhibit about Meresamun is still current, being shown at The Oriental Institute Museum in Chicago, Illinois from February 10 to December 6, 2009.
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The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt (The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago)This companion volume and catalog to the exhibit that opens on February 9, 2009, traces the life of Meresamun, whose mummy, dating to about 800 B.C., is one of the highlights of The Oriental Institute museum in Chicago, IL. The text introduces the historical and cultural setting of Egypt during her time. Essays and artifacts examine the role of music and of musicians in Egyptian temple cults, their training, and the types of musical instruments that Meresamun would have used. The life of Meresamun outside the temple is explored, with emphasis upon her social and legal status, what other professions were available to her, and what home life was like. The study of the life of this individual is augmented by forensic evidence obtained with the newest generation of CT scanners that sheds life on Meresamun's life and death.
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