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Monument : Penmaât
Period : Dynasty XXII
Reign(s) : Osorkon I - ?
High Date : 945
Low Date : 715
Monument type : Mummy board
Localisation or provenance : Sheikh Abd el-Gurna
References : Refs : PM I, 2, 636; Chassinat (1912); Niwinski (1988, N°54); Nunn (2015a); Photos Nunn.
The mummy-board of Penmaât is a fine example (albeit damaged) of a polychrome text from the later Third Intermediate Period (post-Osorkon I). The yellow background has now reverted to white and the canonical colours are restored to their Dynasty XVIII values. Only the bird signs from group G show a slight change, as their wings are nearly always coloured blue, probably as a metaphor for the sky and the creatures that inhabit it. The signs are exceptionally well drawn and painted. One curious feature of this inscription is that all the signs for men from group A show not only the typical white kilt, but also a length of white cloth that covers the shoulder. This is the only example that I know of and could suggest a later date, as does the use of some unusual signs. This mummy-board is also notable for its use of retrograde hieroglyphs to indicate a dialogue between the dedicator and the dedicatee (see also Fischer 1986, 105-129; e.g. 110-111).