4. Plan of tomb of Senusret (reconstruction). The shaft of Senebtisi’s tomb is marked. Drawn by the author after Arnold 2008, pl. 147.
The excavator Herbert Winlock recognized the importance of Senebtisi’s tomb from the beginning and was very careful with his recording of its clearance. The main work was carried out with the help of Arthur C. Mace, a lesser-known figure of Egyptian archaeology but a very careful recorder, and in this area a pioneer. Later he was involved in the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the high quality of the recording there is also due in large part to his involvement.5
The burial of Senebtisi was found in a rock-cut underground chamber at the bottom of a shaft (Fig. 5). The shaft measured 1.38 m × 2.8 m wide and only 6.85 m deep. The mouth of the shaft was lined with bricks, perhaps to prevent sand fall. At the bottom of the shaft, on the west side, was the burial chamber consisting of two parts. The first was an almost square room with an opening in the north wall leading to a second, slightly smaller and longer burial chamber for the coffin. The first room was filled with pottery, while in the burial chamber were the coffins and three boxes. In the east wall was a niche for the canopic box. This box contained the canopic jars holding the entrails of the deceased body, which were removed after mummification and placed in four jars.
5. Plan of Senebtisi’s tomb. From Mace, Winlock 1916, 6.
Senebtisi was placed in a set of three coffins. The outer coffin was made of a soft wood, most likely sycamore, and was badly preserved when found (Fig. 6). The excavators were just able to copy some of the inscriptions. The coffin was decorated on the long sides with four columns of text and a top horizontal text band. On the short ends were two columns and the top horizontal band. The front side of the coffin was further decorated with a pair of wedjat eyes. The lid was vaulted and had a single line of inscription down the middle. The coffin was painted red, perhaps in imitation of high-quality cedar wood. Although the inscriptions on the coffin were badly preserved, it seems clear that some of them are so far unique. Others are common for coffins of the late Twelfth Dynasty and contain short sentences spoken by different deities during the mummification.6 The decoration of the coffin with the wedjat eyes, four text columns on the long sides, two text columns on the short ends, and horizontal text lines at the top is typical of coffins of the Middle Kingdom.7 The coffin was not decorated on the inside.
Inside the outer coffin was placed the second wooden coffin.8 It was better preserved, perhaps because it was made of hard cedar wood, which has a greater chance of survival. This coffin had only a single golden inscription band on the lid and was decorated on the outer side only with the wedjat eyes motif (Fig. 7). The edges of the coffin were ornamented with gold foil. The inscription on the lid is an address to Nut, the sky goddess: “Words spoken: Nut, you are glorious, you are powerful in the body of your mother Tefnut, before your birth, (when) she caused that the lady of the house Sathapy, justified, be the god, lord of eternity, that she may unite with the justified lady of the house Senebtisi in life, duration and power, that she may not die for eternity.”9
6. View of Senebtisi’s coffin as it was found. From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. Xa.
Inside this second, middle coffin was the final inner anthropoid one. This human-shaped coffin was also badly decayed when found. At first the excavators thought that they had found a cartonnage (a mummy cover of plaster and linen) covering the whole mummy. That it was a coffin was recognized only when six copper clamps were found that had held the box and the lid of the coffin together. The anthropoid coffin was decorated on the chest with a broad collar inlaid with various materials such as faience and carnelian (Fig. 8). It was covered with fine gold leaf.
7. The middle coffin of Senebtisi (194 cm long). From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. XVIIb.
8. The decoration on the chest of Senebtisi’s anthropoid coffin. From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. XX.
Senebtisi was mummified. Her body was wrapped in several layers of linen, all of which were badly preserved when found. The entrails had been removed through a 21 cm long incision on the left side of her body. The wound was stuffed with a yellowish material. The body itself was filled with linen. The heart had been removed, wrapped in linen, and then placed back into the body. The brain was not removed.10 The entrails were placed in the canopic jars, where they were found treated with some kind of resin and wrapped in linen.11
Senebtisi was adorned with an array of jewelry. On her head was a golden circlet composed of gold wire. It was made of three separate pieces of wire forming a chain of loops connected at the back of the head by a simple gold wire fastener.12 Ninety-eight golden rosettes remained from a hair covering that was once perhaps placed in or on the wig. They were made of gold foil beaten over a core. Two different molds were used for the rosettes, one with sixteen petals and the other with twelve.13 Eighty-five rosettes were pierced with two holes so that they could be bound to the hair or wig of Senebtisi. Thirteen had a small strip of gold at the back to form some kind of attachment for the same purpose (Fig. 9).
9. Hair ornaments of Senebtisi, circlet and golden rosettes. From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. XXI.
Around Senebtisi’s neck were three broad collars. Of these, one had end pieces in the shape of a falcon’s head (Fig. 10)14 and another had half-round end pieces (Fig. 11).15 Both collars consisted of several rows of tube-shaped beads. Along their outer edge was a row of drop-shaped beads. The original arrangement of the beads is not fully certain, as the strings had perished and the beads were found in considerable disorder. The end pieces of the collars were made of plaster and then gilded. The same technique was used for about two-thirds of the gold beads, while the others were made of faience with gold leaf. The material of these collars gives a strong impression that they were especially made for the burial and never worn in real life. This impression is confirmed by missing holes in the end pieces of the broad collar, which meant that no string could hold them together at the back. The same is certainly true for the third collar. It was made of copper and gilded with the decoration of imitation beads incised into the gold leaf.16
10. Falcon collar of Senebtisi (c. 25 cm wide). From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. XXV.
11. Broad collar of Senebtisi (c. 25 cm wide). From Mace, Winlock 1916, pl. XXIVa.
Four necklaces were found. One consists of beads of various materials, including several sets of nine beads merged together