Human Remains; Mummified Body

Mummified elderly female within a coffin inscribed with the name Ta-iani. The outer wrappings are discoloured and show that the arms are separately wrapped and resting on the thighs. Perhaps outer wrappings have been removed? The wrapped head is now detached from the rest of the body. Part of a group of Theban burials presented by the Egyptian Government to the Prince of Wales during his visit to Egypt in 1868-9. See no. 7 in 'Account of the coffins and mummies discovered in Egypt on the occasion of the visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales in 1868-9' by Samuel Birch (Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature ; vol. x). 1870. X-rayed in November 1966 with the following interpretation of the radiographs: “The skull is loose, having been detached at the level of the 5th cervical vertebra. The mouth is closed; all teeth are present but there is evidence of dental attrition. ...Three cylindrical objects (one overlaying another) are present in the left hemithorax, and some granular packing material is shown in the right hemithorax. The spinal column and ribs appear intact, but there is calcification if the costal cartilages, sclerosis if the vertebral end-plates, and some spinal arthritis. …There is evidence of arthritic changes involving both knee joints, and a very definite area of bone erosion can be seen involving the outer aspect of the right lateral tibial plateau.” (Gray and Slow, 1968 p. 22). CONDITION NOTE 1998: staining on bandages. Information provided by Cynthia May Sheikholeslami of the American University in Cairo (11 June 2012): "Coffins and mummies in Birch's checklist were later distributed by Edward, Prince of Wales, to various institutions and individuals, and it would appear that both the coffins and mummies of Ta-iani and Pa-nesut-tawy were given to Oliver Montagu, of the Royal Horse Guards, who accompanied the Prince and Princess of Wales to Egypt in 1869, who later gave them to the Huntingdon [Literary and Scientific Institution]".