Old Kingdom mummy makes its debut at the Carlos Museum

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Peter Lacovara, Carlos Museum's senior curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern art determined that the mummy was even more precious than anyone at Emory had thought, a rare specimen dating from the Old Kingdom.

The Coffin of Nakht, of the first intermediate period, circa 2181 - 2055 BC, is shown at the exhibit at the 'Life & Death in the Pyramid Age: The Emory Old Kingdom Mummy' exhibit at the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University in Atlanta. The exhibit runs through Dec. 11, 2011.

The mummy -- a young boy -- lies in a sleeping position on his side with his neck cradled in a headrest.

Yards of linen are wrapped around a mummy from the Old Kingdom, estimated 2345 - 2181 BC. The linen was soaked in tree resin to stiffen the fabric and allow it to be modeled in the shape of the body beneath the wrappings.

Candler School of Theology Professor William Arthur Shelton (below), traveled to Egypt in 1919 to collect and purchase artifacts.

Only a half-dozen Old Kingdom mummies are known to exist anywhere in the world and, because of the scarcity of examples, little was known about initial attempts at artificial preservation in Egypt.

The False Door of Nefer-hekenw is shown. The "false door" was the central offering place in the tomb chapel.

An Egyptian statue sits in a chamber at the entrance to the exhibit. Lacovara designed the exhibit to replicate an actual Egyptian tomb, complete with a slit so the statue could look over relatives as they visited a loved one's tomb.

A statue of Pepi I is shown. The exhibit includes 120 art works and everyday objects from the twilight of Egypt's Pyramid Age.

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Peter Lacovara, Carlos Museum's senior curator of ancient Egyptian, Nubian and Near Eastern art determined that the mummy was even more precious than anyone at Emory had thought, a rare specimen dating from the Old Kingdom.

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