History

The Ramesside tomb of Panehsy (TT16) located in Dra Abu El-Naga (Luxor West Bank), consists of two decorated rooms and a passage of approximately 50 meters towards the burial shaft of the original owners. Abundant human remains were found in this passage. These human remains are the consequence of the continuous reuse of the tomb for secondary burials for over one thousand years after the original use of the tomb. The majority of the human remains were mummified but are now fragmentary and incomplete because of environmental issues and the actions of thieves who hacked up the bodies in search of amulets and other valuable objects. Several unique examples of mummification were observed among the secondary burials: the use of wooden artefacts to correct curvatures and abnormal positions in the vertebral column of at least five individuals, the use of wooden sticks penetrating the skull through the foramen magnum to maintain the anatomical position of the head, a wooden stick placed in a parallel position to the femur and bandaged beside it, forming a kind of scaffolding that maintains the natural position of the leg, and finally, a prosthesis consisting of a wooden stick wrapped in bandages with the same technique and the same care that was used for embalming limbs. We believe that the ultimate reason for these procedures was to repair pathologic conditions and/or cosmetic defects to improve the appearance of the deceased for eternity. We have named this procedure "Post-Mortem Surgery and Prosthesis for the Afterlife."