By W. W. MIDGLEY, Curator, retired, The Museums, Bolton.
"So far back as 1834, Mummy cloths occupied the attention of James
Thompson, F.R.S., who, after researches into their characteristics and
structure wrote a paper on the subject, which appears in the London
and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine, Vol. V., page 355. From that
time until quite recently, little additional knowledge on the subject
has appeared. In the early part of 1910, Prof. W. M. Flinders Petrie,
F.R.S., expressed a desire that the writer should undertake
microscopic investigation of the body-wrappings of cloths of the III.
and early IV. Dynasties (_circa_ 2980-2750 B.C.) which he had brought
home from excavations made at a cemetery near Meydum, Upper Egypt. The
report upon them forms part of the "_Historical Studies_," Vol. II.,
of the _British School of Archaeology in Egypt_.
When Mr. Ling Roth suggested that some of the examples of Egyptian
Mummy cloths in Bankfield Museum should be examined on similar lines,
describing the construction of the fabrics and yarns, together with
the characteristics of the fibres used, I undertook to carry out the
work and forward to him the results for permanent reference.
Each of the fifteen cloths submitted was first examined by mounting
about 3/4" x 5/8" (20 mm. x 16 mm.) of the cloth on 3" x 1" (76 mm. x
25 mm.) glass slips, and covering with thin glass, so as to find out
its plan of composition and the number of warp and weft threads per
linear inch. Afterwards, a little of the warp threads as well as of
the weft, was untwisted and the fibres separated, and these mounted
apart on another 3" x 1" slip (76 x 25 mm.), so that the kind of
textile fibre used and the diameter of the fibres could be measured.
These microscopical preparations will be kept in Bankfield Museum, as
they may be of interest to microscopists in the locality.
The cloths are from three sources:--Nos. 1 and 2 being from the
private collection of Dr. Wallis-Budge, who has given the specimens to
Bankfield Museum; Nos. 3 to 8 are from the old Meyer collection in the
Liverpool Museum (unfortunately the origin of them is unknown); and
those marked 9 to 15 were taken from a mummy of the XXVI. Dynasty,
brought to this country by Lord Denbigh, and now also in the Liverpool
Museum.
A.--Specimens of Mummy cloths from Theban Tombs date about B.C. 1400,
presented by Dr. Wallis-Budge.
1. A plain "one-up-and-one-down" linen cloth. The yarns
in this example are more irregular in diameter than
usual--the warp strands varying from 1/25"th to 1/71"st
(1 mm. to .2/8 mm.) The warp has about half its strands
doubled (that is twined together), whereas the weft has
only about one in twenty doubled. See Fig. 26.
2. This is a coarser fabric, has been dyed with
saffron, and is somewhat brittle to tease out the
fibres. Both these cloths had evidently absorbed some of
the gums or balsams used in the process of embalming,
and hence the difficulty of separating the fibres for
identification is increased. The structure of the fabric
is peculiar, and, indeed, the only instance I have seen
in Egyptian cloths. A portion, near the middle of the
piece sent, has the warp strands in pairs parallel to
each other, a few of them being double yarns, while all
the remainder are doubled. Of the weft, nearly half are
double yarns. See Fig. 27.
[Illustration: Fig. 26.--Magnified 10 diameters.]
[Illustration: Fig. 27.--Magnified 10 diameters, showing the warp yarn
in pairs.]
B.--Specimens from the Meyer Collection, marked No. 11088. (Date of
acquisition about 1856; date and place of origin unknown).
3. This is a beautifully soft, fine _Wool_ fabric,
containing no size or balsam. From the fineness of the
yarn and of the individual fibres I have no doubt that
the wool has been imported from India, or, more likely,
that the cloth was made in Cashmere. The texture is a
plain weave, has a selvedge edge, the warp yarns are
doubled, while the weft is single yarn. It is much to be
regretted that the particulars of locality, of burial,
and the period of time to which this interesting fabric
belongs has been lost. I assume from the general
characteristics that it is of a late period--probably
not earlier than the Ptolemaic.
4. This linen cloth has a plain selvedge, regular weave,
and contains no size. About 25% of both warp and weft
yarns are doubled, and all are very even in diameter.
5. A coarse linen cloth with plain selvedge. All the
yarns are single and even in diameter.
6. This is a coarse, highly-sized linen cloth. The yarns
are agglutinated, are brittle, and it is difficult to
separate the fibres. The sample submitted has been cut
from the end of the piece and shows the warp ends.
7. A coarse linen cloth, sized and brittle. No selvedge
on the piece sent. Both warp and weft yarns are single,
and even in diameter.
8. This is a very coarse linen fabric heavily sized and
brittle. Both warp and weft yarns are single and very
irregular in diameter.
C.--Lord Denbigh's: XXVI. Dynasty.
9. A soft-spun linen cloth containing no size. Specimen
has been cut from the body of the fabric, showing no
selvedge. About half of the warp is composed of doubled
yarns of irregular diameter; the weft is of doubled
yarns and more regular in diameter.
10. The selvedge of this linen fabric is peculiar and
somewhat elaborate. The outer margin is composed of four
sets of ten yarns parallel to each other, forming one
strand of warp; then comes a space of 1-9/10" (48 mm.)
where the warp yarns are dyed red; then occurs three
more sets of ten parallel yarns (the object being to
strengthen the selvedge), followed by the general body
of the fabric. The entire selvedge is 2-1/4" (57 mm.)
wide. About half the warp yarns are doubled, while all
the weft are composed of doubled yarns, both being
fairly even in diameter, and not sized.
11. A fine, soft, linen cloth, with selvedge 1-1/8" (29
mm.) wide; the three outer and the two inner strands of
the warp are made up of many parallel yarns, as in No.
10, with an interspace of 3/8" (10 mm.) All the warp
yarns are dyed red, about 25% of them being doubled; the
weft is peculiar in having five or six strands of single
yarns alternating with six or seven double yarns, giving
a faint stripe in the fabric.
12. A linen cloth, with no selvedge edge. It has been
dyed red, probably _ferum_, a dye which I find uniformly
associated with friable or decomposing fibres.
13. A peculiarly coloured fine linen cloth; the pattern
is caused by some of the warp yarns being dyed, and
occurring sometimes of four, two, or one red strands,
with grey ones intermixed. A few of the warp yarns are
doubled. The weft is composed of single yarns and are
all in the grey.
14. A coarse soft-woven linen fabric, containing no
size. Lines are indicated at irregular distances along
the cloth, varying from 5/16" to 9/16" (8 to 14 mm.);
these are caused by the introduction of three strands of
doubled yarn in the warp while the remainder are single
yarns. The weft is all of doubled yarns; both warp and
weft are very regular in diameter.
15. This is a variegated linen fabric with warps
coloured something like No. 13, but the red strands of
warp are more irregular in distribution. Like it, a few
of the warp yarns are doubled, both the red and the
grey; while the weft is all of single yarns and in the
grey."
[A considerable quantity of specimens of the cloths which were woven
by the Ancient Egyptians has been examined both in this country and
abroad. I may, however, call special attention to the results of
examination published in Miss M. A. Murray's excellent little work
_The Tomb of Two Brothers_, Manchester Museum Publications, No. 68,
1910.--H.L.R.]