A Bulb of Narcissus on the Egyptian Mummy from University of Wrocław Collection

• Authors: Borysławski Krzysztof , Niwińska Anna , Niwiński Andrzej , Tomaszewska Agnieszka , Wasylikowa Krystyna , Żelaźniewicz Agnieszka
• Languages of publication: EN FR DE IT

Abstracts

EN

The object of the present study is the ancient bulb of the narcissus found on the mummy, probably of the Ptolemaic period, brought to Wrocław from Italy in the sixteenth century AD. For about four hundred years the mummy was kept by the successive owners of one of pharmacies in Wrocław, and after the World War II became the possession of Wrocław University. Computed tomography made in 2002 revealed an atypical object lying under the left hand of the mummy. Extracted in 2004 it appeared to be the bulb of a flower, and botanical analysis has revealed that it represents the Narcissus tazetta L. species. Although the narcissus was known in Egypt, its identification in the ancient sources has never been attempted. Thanks to the analysis of the bio-medical properties of the narcissus, compared with some descriptions of remedies proposed by the medical papyri Ebers and Hearts, as well as with some religious magical texts an identification of the sennut plant with narcissus is proposed here.

Keywords

EN

Ptolemaic Egypt; Egyptian mummy; flower bulb; Narcissus tazetta L.; medical papyri; Nefertum

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk. Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
• Journal: Études et Travaux (Institut des Cultures Méditerranéennes et Orientales de l’Académie Polonaise des Sciences)
• Year: 2018
• Volume: XXXI
• Pages: 111-121

Dates

published

2018

Contributors

author

Borysławski Krzysztof

• Department of Anthropology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław

author

Niwińska Anna

• Center for Biomedical Research, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences

author

Niwiński Andrzej

• Department of Egyptian and Nubian Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, University of Warsaw

author

Tomaszewska Agnieszka

• Department of Anthropology, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences

author

Wasylikowa Krystyna

• Department of Palaeobotany, Władysław Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków

author

Żelaźniewicz Agnieszka

• Department of Human Biology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław

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Identifiers

DOI

10.12775/EtudTrav.31.006