Flint knife, Egypt, 1000-401 BCE
- Made:
- 1000-401 BCE in Egypt
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Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Flint knife blade
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Flint knife blade, for opening the abdomen of the dead for evisceration prior to mummification, Egyptian, 1000-401BC
Part of the process of mummification is the removal of all of the internal organs from the body apart from the heart, which was seen as the seat of the mind and emotions. Flint knives were used to make the first incision into the abdomen.
Details
- Category:
- Classical & Medieval Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A634909
- Materials:
- incomplete and flint
- Measurements:
-
overall: 12 mm x 205 mm x 60 mm, .13kg
overall (lying flat): 11 mm x 198 mm x 57 mm, .134 kg
- type:
- knife
- credit:
- Sotheby's
