Tea Towel - Papyrus Showing Nestanebetisheru Offering to the God Ra-Horakhty (detail)

Cotton/linen blend
Features corner loop for hanging
Dimensions: 50 x 70cm
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Women worked in temples, often as singers or music players to soothe the ears of both gods and priests. Nestanebetisheru, daughter of high priest Pinedjem II, held many priestly functions. The scene shown here is part of her funerary papyrus. At 37 metres, it is the longest example known to exist. It contains such a unique compilation of litanies and hymns that some Egyptologists believe Nestanebetisheru may have prepared the document herself.

Papyrus showing Nestanebetisheru offering to the god Ra-Horakhty late 21st–early 22nd Dynasties, about 950–930 BCE, Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri © The Trustees of the British Museum