Ägyptens schöne Gesichter

Die Mumienmasken der römischen Kaiserzeit und ihre Funktion im Totenritual

By (author) Asja Müller

Book cover: Ägyptens schöne Gesichter

Extent: 544 pages

Publisher: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag

Subjects: Ancient Egypt, Classical Studies

Series: Archäologische Forschungen

Language: German

Hardback (Published)

(November 2021)

ISBN: 9783752000221

8.27 x 11.69 inches

Price: $165.00

In stock

How do mummy masks act? This question is the starting point for the present investigation, consciously aiming towards a new perspective of research. In contrast to the modern point of view, mummy masks cannot simply be regarded as inanimate objects, but should rather be seen as autonomous entities. Depending on the particular context, they could become subjects and were therefore regarded as agents equal to human beings in antiquity. Therefore, the book seeks to explore how mummy masks acquired such a status and in which situations this happened.


Wie handeln Mumienmasken? Diese Frage ist Ausgangspunkt der vorliegenden Untersuchung, die auf einen Perspektivenwechsel abzielt. Im Gegensatz zur vorherrschenden Sichtweise werden Mumienmasken hier nicht allein als unbelebte Objekte, sondern als eigenstandige Entitaten betrachtet, die je nach Verwendungszusammenhang auch Subjektstatus einnehmen konnten. In der Antike fand der Mensch in der Mumienmaske einen gleichberechtigten Handlungspartner. Zu untersuchen, wie Mumienmasken zu handlungsfahigen Akteuren werden konnten und in welchen Zusammenhangen dies geschah, ist daher das wesentliche Thema des Buches. Um diese Frage zu beantworten werden drei verschiedene Quellenarten ausgewertet: das aussere Erscheinungsbild der Mumienmaske (Maskenkorper, Dekorationsprogramm und Inschriften), ihr archaologischer Kontext (Werkstattgruppen und Grabbefunde) sowie die antiken Texte (dokumentarische Papyri, Totenbuch, Balsamierungsritual, Mundoffnungsritual und das Buch der Verwandlungen). Die Handlungsmacht der Mumienmaske, d. h. ihre Agency, die sich als materiell, kommunikativ und magisch beschreiben lasst, kommt in all diesen Quellen zum Tragen, jedoch auf hochst unterschiedliche Weise. Aspekte der Portrat- und korperhaftigkeit drucken sich im ausseren Erscheinungsbild der Mumienmaske aus, wobei der Einsatz ihrer kommunikativen Agency in enger Relation zur Sichtbarkeit und Zuganglichkeit im Grabkontext stand. Vorbedingung fur die magische Agency war dagegen ihre rituelle Aktivierung bei Bestattungsakt und Totenkult. Die Heranziehung all dieser Aspekte macht es moglich, den Status der Mumienmaske als patient und agent in verschiedenen Handlungszusammenhangen zu beschreiben und herauszuarbeiten, welche Rolle ihr als aktivem Trager des Kulturkontaktes in der hellenistisch-romischen Koine des Mittelmeerraums zukam.

  • By (author) Asja Müller

"Review - German ""[...] The range of aspects that the author has covered with so much knowledge and methodological rigour is truly impressive, and she offers for the first time a more holistic approach to an important part of Egyptian culture of the imperial period. One could easily imagine a researcher running out of steam after collecting the evidence and describing and analysing the masks and their decoration. What makes this book so much more thana convenient presentation of material is the insistence that the masks had a function; and that they integrated well into millennia-old religious traditions and beliefs, where they could assume magical powers and support the transition of the deceased into a living divine being. In doing so, Asja Muller has also demonstrated that these masks should be of interest not just to art historians and archaeologists, but to historians as well, since they contribute to our wider understanding of Roman Egypt and its societies. While a German book of 428 pages may look intimidating to non-native speakers, it is worth the effort of engaging with it, and both the clear and accessible writing style and the conclusions (Auswertung) following each sub-section are helpful.""By Barbara E. BorgIn: Bonner Jahrbucher, Bd. 221 (2021), S. 335-339"
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„[…] The range of aspects that the author has covered with so much knowledge and methodological rigour is truly impressive, and she offers for the first time a more holistic approach to an important part of Egyptian culture of the imperial period. One could easily imagine a researcher running out of steam after collecting the evidence and describing and analysing the masks and their decoration. What makes this book so much more than<br/>a convenient presentation of material is the insistence that the masks had a function; and that they integrated well into millennia-old religious traditions and beliefs, where they could assume magical powers and support the transition of the deceased into a living divine being. In doing so, Asja Müller has also demonstrated that these masks should be of interest not just to art historians and archaeologists, but to historians as well, since they contribute to our wider understanding of Roman Egypt and its societies. While a German book of 428 pages may look intimidating to non-native speakers, it is worth the effort of engaging with it, and both the clear and accessible writing style and the conclusions (Auswertung) following each sub-section are helpful.“<br/><br/>By Barbara E. Borg<br/>In: Bonner Jahrbücher, Bd. 221 (2021), S. 335-339
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