Mummified Fish

Mummified Nile perch fish wrapped in bandages and bound together with numerous concentric windings of palm fibre rope. Thousands of pilgrims travelled to sacred sites throughout Egypt to give offerings to the gods. Many places in the Nile Valley and the Delta were linked to different gods and their animal cults. Nile perch were fish sacred to the goddess Neith and mummified at Esna where this fish mummy was buried. Included in the Ancient Egyptian Animal Bio Bank Project (2016) for radiographic analysis (X-ray and CT scanning), specimen no. AEABB652: "Complete and articulated skeleton of a fish with a thin layer of linen bound with papyrus reed. The skeleton appears to be a good condition compared to other fish mummies – there is no obvious fracturing and displacement of the bones, presumably because the style of wrapping has helped to keep everything in position". 16 Novemeber 1906 register entry: "158. Mummied fish".