The coffins of Henuttawy A

According to Reeves, the coffin elements were originally crafted for Henuttawy and had not been repurposed from a previous burial or modified for her use (DRN, p. 212, n. 17). However, this conclusion need revisiting in light of the re-examination carried out by Dr Kara Cooney and Dr Carrie Arbuckle Macleod. Coffins CG 61026, mummy CG 61090.

The gilded face mask and hands have been removed from the inner coffin lid, and all other gilded areas on the coffins have been meticulously scraped away with an adze. This adzing was carried out with such care that sacred images and the inscriptions running down the lower central surface of the inner coffin lid were left unharmed. The careful nature of this removal suggests that it was undertaken as part of an official process by Royal Necropolis officials, rather than as an act of simple tomb-robbing. Similar damage is observable on other coffins from DB320, particularly on Nodjmet’s inner coffins.

Despite heavy damage to the face mask and wig of Henuttawy’s inner coffin, it is possible to make out the faint outlines of the original decorative scheme on the exposed wood. Notably, there are two semi-circular, wing-shaped areas on either side of the face, indicating that her wig might once have been adorned with a vulture headdress, akin to those seen on the coffins of her daughter, Maatkara-Mutemhet. Some of the golden cloisons used to separate the feathered design still appear to survive along the edges of these semicircles, and an indentation on the forehead could mark the original placement of a golden vulture’s head. While vulture headdresses became more fashionable on stola-type coffins during the later 21st Dynasty, their appearance on Henuttawy’s coffin, dating from the early 21st Dynasty, would have been highly unusual and a signifier of exceptionally high status.

On the basin of the outer coffin (shown at right in the photograph), a striped headdress is visible. This headdress appears to have been decorated with alternating black and gold stripes, the latter now entirely stripped of gilding. Traditionally, such striped headdresses were reserved for the coffins of men, so its presence on Duathathor-Henuttawy’s coffin suggests she wielded considerable authority.

Source Bibliography: AGS, 54f,; CCR 63ff., pl. XXXV; DRN, p. 212, n.17, 255f.; FP, p. 192-194; GCSS, 53f.; MiAE, 230

Abbreviations

Source 2025-07: Edited from a now-defunct page of The Theban Royal Mummy Project via Wayback Machine
Source url: http://anubis4_2000.tripod.com/mummypages1/DB320Coffins/Henntawy_s_Coffin.html

Research:
See The Layered Life of JE26204: the Construction and Reuse of the Coffins of Henuttawy
by Caroline Arbuckle MacLeod and Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney – 2019

Inner coffin of Henuttawy A. Cairo Museum JE 26204 / CG 61026. The decoration of the coffin is largely stripped of. Photo: Edward Loring