Mummy case and portrait of Artemidorus.
Title
Mummy case and portrait of Artemidorus.
Creator
Date
Identifier
RDS_D0_653_0018
Description
Mummy of a Greek youth, aged 19-21, named Artemidorus in a cartonnage body-case with mythological decoration in gold leaf and an encaustic on limewood portrait-panel covering the face and inscription on the chest. There is an inscription in Greek on the mummy-case.
Skull - there is an extensive stellate fracture of the vault of the skull which may be ante mortem. All teeth appear to be present. The cervical spine is obscured by the mandible and packing material which is present in the neck and shoulder region.
Thorax and Abdomen - These cavities appear to be filled with some sandy material. The dorsal spine is in disorder; all the ribs have been dislocated at their costo-vertebral junctions, but not fractured. The lumbar spine appears intact, but the intervertebral discs are opaque. There is bilateral sacrilisation of the 5th lumbar vertebra. The iliac epiphyses have by no means closed, hence the estimate of age.
Arms - Extended. Hands with extended fingers in the pubic area.
Legs - Menisci opaque. No fractures, dislocations, or lines of arrested growth.
Skull - there is an extensive stellate fracture of the vault of the skull which may be ante mortem. All teeth appear to be present. The cervical spine is obscured by the mandible and packing material which is present in the neck and shoulder region.
Thorax and Abdomen - These cavities appear to be filled with some sandy material. The dorsal spine is in disorder; all the ribs have been dislocated at their costo-vertebral junctions, but not fractured. The lumbar spine appears intact, but the intervertebral discs are opaque. There is bilateral sacrilisation of the 5th lumbar vertebra. The iliac epiphyses have by no means closed, hence the estimate of age.
Arms - Extended. Hands with extended fingers in the pubic area.
Legs - Menisci opaque. No fractures, dislocations, or lines of arrested growth.
Source
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA21810
Rights
Copyright RDS Library & Archives. Publication, transmission or display is prohibited without formal written approval of the RDS Library & Archives.
Format
Glass slide
Type
Original Format
Glass slide
Collection
Citation
Steele, Lawrence E., “Mummy case and portrait of Artemidorus.,” RDS Digital Archive, accessed December 5, 2025, https://digitalarchive.rds.ie/items/show/6014.