Takabuti
Encyclopedia
Takabuti was a married woman who reached an age of between twenty and thirty years. She lived in the Egyptian city of Thebes
at the end of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt
. Her mummified
body and mummy case are in the Ulster Museum
Belfast
. The coffin was opened and the mummy unrolled on 27 January,1835 in Belfast Natural History Society
’s museum at College Square North. Edward Hincks
, a leading Egyptologist from Ireland
was present and deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyph
s which revealed that she was mistress of a great house. Her mother’s name was Taseniric and her father was a priest of Amun
. She was buried in a cemetery west of Thebes.
After the Napoleonic Wars there was a brisk trade in Egyptian mummies. Takabuti was purchased in 1834 by Thomas Greg of Ballymenoch House, Holywood, Co Down. At that time the unwrapping of a mummy was of considerable scientific interest (as well as curiosity) and later studies revealed beetle
s later identified as N. mumiarum
Hope, 1834, Dermestes maculatus
DeGeer, 1774 (as Dermestes vulpinus) and Dermestes frischi
Kugelann, 1792 (as Dermestes pollinctus Hope, 1834).
The painted coffin was itself of considerable interest and the wrappings of fine linen
were given much attention in the town that was the commercial centre of the Irish linen industry. One hundred and seventy years later Takabuti remains a popular attraction for visitors, young and old.
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...
at the end of the Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt
Twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt
The twenty-fifth dynasty of Egypt, known as the Nubian Dynasty or the Kushite Empire, was the last dynasty of the Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt....
. Her mummified
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
body and mummy case are in the Ulster Museum
Ulster Museum
The Ulster Museum, located in the Botanic Gardens in Belfast, has around 8,000 square metres of public display space, featuring material from the collections of fine art and applied art, archaeology, ethnography, treasures from the Spanish Armada, local history, numismatics, industrial...
Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. The coffin was opened and the mummy unrolled on 27 January,1835 in Belfast Natural History Society
Belfast Natural History Society
The Belfast Natural History and Philosophical Society was founded in 1821 to promote the scientific study of animals, plants, fossils, rocks and minerals....
’s museum at College Square North. Edward Hincks
Edward Hincks
The Reverend Edward Hincks was an Irish clergyman, best remembered as an Assyriologist and one of the decipherers of Mesopotamian cuneiform....
, a leading Egyptologist from Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
was present and deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyph
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Egyptian hieroglyphs were a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that combined logographic and alphabetic elements. Egyptians used cursive hieroglyphs for religious literature on papyrus and wood...
s which revealed that she was mistress of a great house. Her mother’s name was Taseniric and her father was a priest of Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
. She was buried in a cemetery west of Thebes.
After the Napoleonic Wars there was a brisk trade in Egyptian mummies. Takabuti was purchased in 1834 by Thomas Greg of Ballymenoch House, Holywood, Co Down. At that time the unwrapping of a mummy was of considerable scientific interest (as well as curiosity) and later studies revealed beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s later identified as N. mumiarum
Necrobia rufipes
The red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes is a predatory beetle in the family Cleridae with a cosmopolitan distribution.The adult beetles are long, convex, straight sided, and the surface has indentations called punctures....
Hope, 1834, Dermestes maculatus
Dermestes maculatus
Dermestes maculatus is a species of beetle with a worldwide distribution, being present on all continents except Antarctica. In Europe, it is present in all countries.-Description:...
DeGeer, 1774 (as Dermestes vulpinus) and Dermestes frischi
Dermestes frischi
Dermestes frischi is a species of beetle found in the Palearctic, including Europe, tropical Africa, the Near East, the Nearctic, North Africa and East Asia...
Kugelann, 1792 (as Dermestes pollinctus Hope, 1834).
The painted coffin was itself of considerable interest and the wrappings of fine linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
were given much attention in the town that was the commercial centre of the Irish linen industry. One hundred and seventy years later Takabuti remains a popular attraction for visitors, young and old.