Shirt

Unknown

ca. 1479–1458 B.C. · Linen · Egyptian Art

This shirt was made of a single length of closely woven linen fabric that was folded crosswise and sewn together along the selvages with gaps left near the fold for the arms. A hole was cut at the front for the head and the edges were finished with a rolled hem. At the back, the lower edge of the shirt was formed by the beam end of the fabric; at the front it was finished with a rolled hem. There are two woven repairs (see attached photographs), evidence that the shirt was used and valued by its owner. The shirt had been folded into a rectangular pad and used in the wrappings of a middle-aged man. The stains are from resins employed in the mummification process. A bundle of linen containing a similar shirt and a kilt (36.3.76) was found lying on top of the mummy. The man had been buried on the hillside below the tomb of Senenmut (see 36.3.252) in western Thebes. A number of burials were discovered on this hillside, including a small tomb containing Senenmut's mother, Hatnefer (36.3.1), his father, Ramose, and six other family members. It is possible that the un-named man was another relative or a member of Senenmut's household, who was buried where his spirit could benefit from the daily offerings that would be presented at Senenmut's offering chapel (TT 71).

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1479–1458 B.C.

Medium

Linen

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1936