History / Exhibit
Mummy Label of Paniskos
Read the two-line Greek identification of Paniskos and his father on a carved wooden mummy label.
Open interactive exhibit ↗At a glance
- Collection number
- 1934.2.a
- Date
- First–third century CE
- Origin
- Egypt
- Language
- Greek
- Material
- Wood
Translation
Paniskos, son of Didymos.
English rendering of the Greek inscription transcribed in the MK&G catalogue. “Son of” makes the relationship expressed by the Greek genitive explicit.
Paniskos
ΠΑΝΙΣΚΟΣ
Paniskos
The name of the deceased. Greek personal names are transliterated into English.
Son of Didymos
ΔΙΔΥΜΟΥ
Son of Didymos
Didymou is the genitive of Didymos: “of Didymos.” In this name formula it identifies the father.
A name kept with the body
The wooden label identified a mummified person in Roman-period Egypt. Its two lines give Paniskos’s name and his father’s name.
Making the label
The board has projecting handles with holes for attachment. The museum records carved letters with red fill. Its dimensions are 8.4 × 21.7 × 1.0 cm.
Original object and sources
Museum scan of the original collection object, simplified for web display. Surface textures are retained; missing geometry is not reconstructed. Select a highlighted passage to read its transcription and English rendering.
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg · CC0 1.0 · Public domain