Tongue Cover-Plate

Tongue Cover-Plates were gold foil amulets placed over the tongues of some Egyptian mummies.[1] This mainly took place during the Greco-Roman period although examples from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty have been found at Oxyrhynchus.[2][3] This funerary ritual appears to have been to done in the belief that it would help the dead individual speak in the afterlife.[4] They were sometimes accompanied by gold eye amulets.[1][2]

Tongue Cover-Plate from Hawara

In the 21st century examples of such amulets have been found at Oxyrhynchus, Quesna and Taposiris Magna.[2][3][5] In the 19th century finds were made at Tell Nabasha, San el-Hagar and Hawara.[6][7][8]

References
  1. "Tongue Cover-Plate". liverpoolmuseums.org.uk. National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  2. Jarus, Owen (1 December 2022). "Gold tongues found in 2,000-year-old mummies in Egypt". Live Science. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  3. Geggel, Laura (9 December 2021). "Mummy with gold-foil 'tongue' found in sealed Egyptian tomb". Live Science. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  4. Davis-Marks, Isis (3 February 2021). "Archaeologists in Egypt Discover Mummy With Gold Tongue". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 31 March 2023. 
  5. Jarus, Owen (1 February 2021). "Mummy with a gold tongue found in Egypt". Live Science. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  6. Riggs, Christina (2013). World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum: A Characterization. Archaeopress. p. 120. ISBN 9781905739585.
  7. "cover-plate". britishmuseum.org. British Museum. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  8. "cover-plate". britishmuseum.org. British Museum. Retrieved 31 March 2023.


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