Ancient Egyptian Antiquities from Bāb El-Gusūs in Odesa (1894–1895): the New Archive Documents

Abstract

The article analyzes new data related to initial distribution of Bāb el-Gusūs antiquities from Lot. No. 6 received by the Russian Empire in 1894, based on the new documents from the State Archive of Odesa Region. Professor Oleksiy Derevytskyi from the Novorosiiskyi (Odesa) University was responsible for placement and further destiny of these artifacts among university museums of Empire. Thus, the Lot was bigger than it was thought before and contained coffins (6 pcs.), mummy-covers (4 pcs.), shabtis (92 pcs.), shabti boxes (3 pcs.), and mummy shrouds (3 fragments). The detailed reports by Professor Derevytskyi concerning distribution of the artifacts, bills of lading, cost estimates, and the letters confirming receipt of the artifacts were found in the Odesa archive. By March 1895, the antiquities were distributed among the following institutions of the Russian Empire: 1) Moscow University (1 coffin (Cairo J.E. 29687), 10 shabtis, 1 mummy shroud); 2) Kyiv University (1 coffin (Cairo J.E. 29634), 10 shabtis, 1 mummy shroud); 3) Kazan University (1 coffin, 9 shabtis); 4) Novorosiiskyi (Odesa) University (1 coffin (Cairo J.E. 29712), 2 shabti boxes, 9 shabtis, 1 mummy shroud); 5) Kharkiv University (1 coffin, 9 shabtis); 6) Warsaw University (1 coffin, 9 shabtis, 1 shabti box); 7) University of Yuriev (Tartu) (1 mummy-cover, 9 shabtis); 8) University of Helsingfors (Helsinki) (1 mummy-cover, 9 shabtis); 9) The Imperial Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Saint-Petersburg (1 mummy-cover, 9 shabtis); 10) Baron Alexander von Stieglitz Central School for Technical Drawing, Saint-Petersburg (1 mummy-cover, 9 shabtis).