A Life and Death in Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Ankh-Hap lived during the dawn of the Hellenistic Age, a tumultuous period in Egyptian history. His name evokes the cult of the Apis bull, which endured the political changes of the time. The evidence for his health and everyday life is explored, followed by the mummification and funeral rites that attended his death. The Osiris myth played an important role in the latter. There is evidence that Ankh-Hap’s grave was disturbed in antiquity and that perhaps his damaged mummy was rewrapped. Ancient grave robbers posed a serious threat to every Egyptian’s afterlife. Mummies were also plundered in later eras, particularly for use as a medicine called mumia. Not only were these dead bodies ingested as a cure-all, but they were ground up in large numbers to make fish bait, aphrodisiacs, paint, and other products down to modern times.