Falcon Mummy

At the end of the 2nd millennium BC, the donation of votive objects by private individuals on a large scale became increasingly popular within the cults of certain deities, peaking during the Ptolemaic Period. These votives included bronze statuettes and mummified sacred animals. A variety of animals were bred, mummified, and presented as offerings in temples before being interred in special catacombs. This mummified falcon, sacred to the god Horus, displays the elegantly precise wrappings characteristic of the late periods of Egyptian history. Although animal mummies typically were adorned with cartonnage masks representing the species in question, falcons often bore a human face, as here. The eyes, face, and headdress are all modeled from linen, using differing colors of fabric.