The cache contained the coffins and mummies of the
official Nebseni, ’Ahmose-In-hapi, Duathathor-HENUT-
TAW Y, SETI I,TUTHMOSIS I(now in dispute), AMENHOTEP I,
and TUTHMOSIS II.
Also discovered in the cache were the mummies of
TUTHMOSIS III, RAMESSES II, RAMESSES III,RAMESSES IX,
Sekenenre TA’OII, SIAMUN (2) and ’AHMOSE and the
remains of Queens ’AHMOSE HETTINEHU, ’AHMOSE MERTA-
MON, ’AHMOSE NEFERTARI, ’Ahmose Sitkamose, MA’ATKARÉ,
NESKHONS, NODJMET, and TAWERET. The princes and
princesses found in the cache include ’AHMOSE HETEMPET,
’AHMOSE SIPAIR, NESITANEBTISHRU (2), and SITAMUN(1).
Also discovered were Djedptahaufankh, MASAHARTA, PIN-
UDJEM I, PINUDJEM II, RAI, and anonymous remains.
The cache discovered in the tomb of AMENHOTEP II
in 1898 was accompanied by an inscription that de-
clares that these royal remains were placed there “on the
sixth day of the fourth month of winter in the twelfth
year of Pinudjem (1).” The mummies found there
include, TUTHMOSIS IV, AMENHOTEP III, SETI II, MERENPTAH,
SIPTAH, RAMESSES V, RAMESSES IV, and RAMESSES VI. The
mummy of an unknown woman was also discovered in
the cache. She was placed in a coffin bearing the name of
SETHNAKHTE.
In TANIS, the mummies of PSUSENNES I, AMENEMOPET,
OSORKON I, TAKELOT II, and SHOSHENQ IIwere found. BAB
EL-GUSUS, near DEIR EL-BAHRI, contained the sarcophagi of
153 high priests and lesser personnel of the temple of
Amun. This discovery was made in 1891. In 1830 some
60 mummies were found in the same area. An entire field
of mummies from the Roman era of Egypt has been
uncovered at BAHARIA OASIS, an area now called the VAL-
LEY OF THE GILDED MUMMIES.
Mursilis I(d. c. 1600 B.C.E.) Ruler of the Hittites
He was the grandson and successor of Hattusilis, who
was on the throne during the last decades of Egypt’s Mid-
dle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.). Militarily active, Mur-
silis destroyed Aleppo, then an Amorite city, and ended
the dynasty of Hammurabi at Babylon. His activities
endangered Egypt’s trade systems and caused alarms as
the Nile rulers recognized the growing power of the HIT-
TITES. Withdrawing to the capital, Hattusas, Mursilis was
murdered by a brother-in-law.
Mursilis II(d. c. 1306 B.C.E.) Ruler of the Hittites
The son of SUPPILULIUMAS I, he reigned from c. 1334
B.C.E. until his death. He was the brother of ZANNANZA,
who had been invited to Egypt by Queen ANKHESENAMON
and then murdered while nearing Egypt. As a result,
Mursilis II had no affection for Egyptians. Mursilis II sta-
bilized his empire by controlling Syria, a prize desired by
the Ramessids. There were also confrontations between
the Egyptians and HITTITES in the border areas at the
close of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the beginning of SETI
I’s reign (1306–1290 B.C.E.), but the major battles and
subsequent treaty would come in the reign of RAMESSES II
(1290–1224 B.C.E.), Seti I’s heir.musical instruments Recreational and religious in-
struments were integrated into every aspect of Egyptian
life. The god Ibi was considered the patron of such
instruments, but other deities, such as HATHOR, were
involved in the playing of music in all eras. Hymns and
processional songs were part of all religious rituals, and
the Egyptians enjoyed musical groups and bands at festi-
vals and at celebrations. On certain feasts the queen and
royal women, accompanied by musicians and dwarfs,
danced and sang to the god and to the ruler.
In the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.) and proba-
bly in Predynastic Periods, flutes, including the double
flutes, and clarinet-type instruments were played. Men
played large portable versions of the harp, an instrument
that evolved into immense and highly decorated pieces.
The first harps were held in the hands or on the musi-
cian’s lap, but later harps were freestanding and weighty.
Trumpets appeared in the Old Kingdom as well.
Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.) harps were
accompanied by the SISTRUM. Rattles, tambourines, clap-
pers, and a type of guitar were played as well. Cymbals
and castanets remained popular from the Old Kingdom
onward. The lute and lyre appeared during the Second
Intermediate Period (1640–1532 B.C.E.), the era of the
HYKSOSdomination, and were probably introduced by the
Asiatics when they invaded the Nile region. New King-
dom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) tombs have reliefs depicting the
use of such instruments. The angular and arched harps
were in vogue during the empire, as well as the large and
small drums and oboe pipe. Sistrums added a certain
tonal variation to performances, especially in tombs, and
the heads of MENAT(1) necklaces were struck to maintain
certain tempos. Other instruments came into Egypt as a
result of the various foreign invasions after the fall of the
New Kingdom.
The musical tones achieved by the musicians were
dependent upon the instrument used. Horns were
adapted for royal or military purposes, and the Egyptians
appear to have relished a clamorous noise on such occa-
sions. In private gatherings, the music was soft and quite
melodic. The sistrum and the CLAPPERwere designed as
instruments to be used in cultic ceremonies. The clapper
denoted alterations in the rhythm of such rites, and the
sistrum was sacred to the goddess Hathor and used in
other rituals as well.Mut A highly revered goddess of Egypt, whose name is
translated as “Mother,” she was normally portrayed as a
handsome woman wearing a patterned sheath dress and
the double crown. Her cult dates to the early eras, and
she was honored as the consort of the god AMUNinMut 257