River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-10-07
Royal Msmmies.

both IN labor ana food.
Royal Msmmies.
The mummy of Rameses III. was re-
Gently unbandaged in the presence OF
the Khedive of Egypt, and long ac-
count of the proceedings appeared in
in the London Times, contributed by
Prof. G. Maspero. The head of the
king is long, aud small in proportion
to the body The top of the skull is
quite bare. On the temples there are
few sparse hairs, but at the poll the
hair is quite thick, forming smooth,
straight locks about five centimeters in
length. White at the time of death,
they have been dyed a light yellow by
the spices used in embalming. The
forehead is low and narrow. the brow
ridge prominent; the eyebrows are
thick and white; the eyes are small
and close together; the nose is long
thin, hooked like the noses of the
BOurbons, and slightly crushed ut the
tip by the pressure of the bandages,
The temples are sunken; the cheek
bones very prominent; the ears round.
standing far out from the head, and
pierced like those of a woman for the
wearing of earrings. The jawbone is
massive and strong; the chin very
prominent; the mouth small but thick
Tipped, and full of some kind of black
paste.
This paste being partly cut away
with the scissors, disclosed some much
worn ard very brittle teeth, which.
moreover, are white and well pre-
served. The mustache and beard are
thin. They seemed to have been kept
shaven during life. but were probably
allowed to grow during the
kings last illness, or they may have
grown after death. The hairs are white
like those of the head and eyebrows.
but are harsh and bristly,and from two
to three millimeters in length. The
skin is of earthly brown, splotched with
black. Finally. it may be said the face
of the mummy gives a fair idea of the
face of the living king. The expression
is unintellectual, perhaps slightly ami
NAL, but even eunder the somewhat
grotesque disguise of mumiiication
there is plainly to be seen an air OF
sovereign majesty, of resolve and OF
pride. The rest of the body is as well
preserved as the head, but in conse-
quence of the reduction of the tissues
I its external aspect is less lifelike. The
neck is no thicker than the yertebral
column. The chest is broad, the
| shoulders are square, the arms are
crossed upon the bre asst, the hands are
small and dyed with henna, and the
wound in the left side through which
4 the embalmers extracted the viscera is
large and open. The legs and thighs
are ileshless, the feet are long, slender
somewhat flatsoled, and dyed, like the
hands. with henna. The corpse is thai
of an old man. We know, indeed, thai
| Ramese Ii. reigned for siXty-scyen
wears, and that he must have beer
nearly one hundred years old when he
/ died.
The mummy of Rameses III. was al
so unbandaged. This had hitherto beer
mistaken for that of Nofre.ari. the
venerated Queen of the eighteenth dy
nasty. The feature of Rameses III
are less well preserved than those
! of Rameses IL, vet they can.
\ to a certain extent be identified
with those of the portraits Of
/ the conqueror. The head and face are
closely shaved, and show no trace d
! hair and beard The forehead, with
out being lofty or very broad, is better
proportiOned and more intellectual
| than that of Rameses III. The brow
ridge is less prominent, the cheek
/ bones are less high, the nose is less
hooked, the chin and jaw are less
heavy. The eyes appear to be larger
/ but il is not possible to be certain oil
this last point, the eyelids having been
removed. and the cavities of the eye
balls having been stuffed with rags.
/ The ears are closer to the head than
those of Rameses H., and they are
pierced in like manner for the reception
of earrings. The mouth is dispTopOr-
( tionately wide. and the thin lips reveal
a row of white and well-placcd teeth.
The first molar on the right side APP
pears to have been broken, or to have
been worn away earlier than the rest.
/ In short, Rameses Ill. is like a small.
er imitation of Rameses III. The phys
/ iognomy is more delicate. and, above
all, more intelligent, but the height OF
/ the body is less, the shoulders are less
wide. and the strength of the man was
inferior. What he was himself in hi,
\ individual person as compared with
/ Rameses III. so was his reign as com
paled with the reign of Rameses IL
His wars were not fought in Syria OIL
| Ethiopia, but at the mouths of the
I Nile and on the frontiers of Egypt
His buildings were of poor style and
of hasty construction. His piety was
as pompous as that of Rameses H., but
his resources were more meagre. His
vanity was. however, as boundless, and
such was his supreme desire to copy IN
all Things the example of his illu,Irio Is
/ predecessor that he gave to his SOUS
\ the names of the sons of Rameses H.,
and almost in the same order of birth.
\ The two mummies, replaced ia theiI
| glass cases, will heneetorth be exhibit
ed with their faces uncovered, like the
mummies of King Pinotem and the
priest Nebsouni.