In Textile Layers: The wrapping of human remains, animals, and artefacts in Egypt, Sudan, and the Southern Levant - Paperback

by Matilde Borla (Editor), Luise ØRsted Scharff Brandt (Editor), Elsa Yvanez (Editor)

This volume examines the role of textiles in ancient Egypt, Sudan and the Southern Levant in funerary contexts, through an interdisciplinary lens. Contributions from archaeology, philology, conservation, bioanthropology, and imaging sciences highlight how collaborative approaches reveal both the material and cultural significance of textile wrappings. Advanced technologies allow non-invasive study of human remains and textiles, while innovative conservation methods preserve fragile artefacts and ensure their accessibility for future research. Ethical issues, particularly around the treatment and display of wrapped remains, are emphasized, alongside a call for greater attention to conservation practices in fieldwork. The book also departs from the colonial legacies of early Egyptology, where unwrapping practices fragmented and desacralized mummies and funerary deposits. Through its case studies, this volume underscores textiles as key to our understanding of burial rituals, material culture, and the entangled histories of archaeological practice.