# @gettymuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYN6s5n_6S
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/34229748-gettymuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/34cab43571.jpg
- **Posted:** 2020-10-15T20:57:13.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Getty (@gettymuseum) — https://gondola.cc/gettymuseum

## Caption

(cw: human remains)

In the 1st-2nd century AD, this young man was mummified and buried in Egypt. His body was wrapped in a linen shroud that was painted red and adorned with images of Egyptian deities, including Osiris, the god of the dead. A strikingly lifelike portrait, painted on a wooden panel in Greco-Roman style, was placed over his face. On the mummy's footcase, his name—Herakleides—is written in Greek letters.

Almost 2,000 years later, Herakleides made a trip to ucla for a CT scan. What did this scan and other research reveal?

✔️ Herakleides was around 20 years old when he died. 
✔️ The red pigment on his shroud was imported to Egypt all the way from Rio Tinto, Spain—a result of the Roman Empire's far-reaching trade networks.
✔️ An unexpected mummified ibis, a type of wading bird, is bound within. The ibis is placed over Herakleides' abdomen and incorporated into his wrappings. The bird's beak is visible at the center of the fourth image.

What does all of this tell us?

Herakleides must have been a man of means in order to access materials imported from Spain and to commission such a high-quality portrait. The ibis was the sacred animal of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing. Perhaps Herakleides was a priest of Thoth, or had a personal devotion to the god. The combination of material and cultural elements incorporated into Herakleides' burial also shows us how diverse the Roman Empire truly was.
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🏷: 
#HiddenHistories #romanoegyptian #ancient #history #gettyvilla #gettymuseum

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## Tags

history, gettymuseum, hiddenhistories, gettyvilla, ancient, romanoegyptian

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