Maiherpri

Maiherperi was an ancient Egyptian noble of Nubian origin buried in tomb KV36 in the Valley of the Kings. He probably lived during the rule of Thutmose IV, and received the honour of a burial in the royal necropolis. His name can be translated as Lion of the Battlefield.[1] Amongst his titles were Child of the Nursery and Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King. There is speculation that the first title signified that he grew up in the royal nursery as a prince of a vassal territory, or perhaps was the son of a lesser wife or concubine of the pharaoh.[2] He was among the first during the New Kingdom to hold the second title, and was literally true in that he was by the pharaoh's side, likely as an advisor or bodyguard.[3] This same title was also used to denote the Viceroys of Kush later in the New Kingdom.[4]

U1G1M17E22D2
Z1		 O1
D21		 M17M6N21
Z1
Maiherpri
Egyptian hieroglyphs
Maiherpri as depicted in his copy of the Book of the Dead

Tomb of Maiherpri
Main article: KV36

Maiherperi's copy of the Book of the Dead, which, in the eyes of O'Connor and Cline is "[c]ertainly the most famous and arguably the most beautiful" Book of the Dead[5] depicts him with literally "blackish" skin, leading scholars to believe he was an Egyptian of Nubian descent.[6]

His mummy was unwrapped by Georges Daressy in March 1901,[7] revealing a mummy whose dark skin matched that depicted on his copy of the Book of the Dead, and thought that this was likely Maiherperi's natural colour, unchanged by the mummification process.[8] He also had tightly curled, woolly hair, which turned out to be a wig that had been glued to his scalp.[9]

Bibliography
  • Michael Rice, Who's Who in Ancient Egypt By Michael Rice, Routledge 2001, ISBN 0-415-15448-0, p. 104
  • David B. O'Connor, Eric H. Cline, Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign, University of Michigan Press 1998, ISBN 0-472-08833-5

Footnotes and references
  1. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.104 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  2. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.106 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  3. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.104 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  4. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.104 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  5. Eric H. Cline, David B. O'Connor, Thutmose III: A New Biography, University of Michigan Press 2006, ISBN 0-472-11467-0, p.315
  6. O'Connor & Cline, op.cit., p.216
  7. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.104 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  8. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.105 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
  9. Forbes, Dennis C. Tombs, Treasures, Mummies: Seven Great Discoveries of Egyptian Archaeology. p.105 KMT Communications, Inc. 1998. ISBN 1-879388-06-5
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