© Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University. Photo by Peter Harholdt.

ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Falcon Mummy

Place CreatedEgypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodLate Period

Date722-332 BCE

MediumLinen, animal remains

Credit LineCollection of Dr. J. Philips

Dimensions15 x 4 5/8 x 3 1/16 in. (38.1 x 11.7 x 7.7 cm)

Object number1958.063

Label TextIn ancient Egypt, mummification was also used to preserve the bodies of animals, including household pets, although most animal mummies were intended for ritual purposes. Animals sacred to a deity were bred, mummified, and buried in vast cemeteries. Individuals could present such an animal as a votive offering, alone or encased in a pot or a tiny coffin of wood or bronze surmounted by a figure of the animal. In some instances, the coffin itself was in the shape of the animal.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11, 1993 - Spring 2001
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, October 6, 2001 - October 2011
Hall of Ancient Egypt, The Houston Museum of Natural Science, August 2014 - June 9, 2026
Published ReferencesPeter Lacovara and Betsy Teasley Trope, The Realm of Osiris (Atlanta: Michael C. Carlos Museum 2001), 66.

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