The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt April 21, 2009

This exhibit focuses on the life of a priestess-musician in Egypt in about the year 800 BC. The centerpiece is the coffin and mummy of Meresamun who probably lived in Thebes. The exhibit illustrates the duties of a temple singer and explores what her life was like inside, as well as outside the temple. Examples of dishes, jewelry and cosmetic vessels show what sort of objects would have been in her home. Religious rituals enacted within the home are illustrated by objects related to ancestor cults.