Funerary Portrait Fragment (KM 23975)
This rather unassuming fragment of wood was once part of a painted funerary portrait that would originally have been attached to a mummy. It was discovered at Karanis, in an underground room (Room W) in what could have been either a house or a public storage area for grain. The presence of a portrait fragment in either context (neither of which are funerary) raises questions about where and how these portraits were venerated before the deceased was laid to rest.
The portrait fragment consists of a section of the sitter’s hair and upper forehead. UVL imaging suggests the presence of madder lake in the skin of the forehead, and XRF analysis suggests the use of lead white in both the skin and background. The hair appears to be mostly painted with a carbon black pigment, but on closer inspection of the IRRFC image, we saw evidence of another pigment—indigo—dotted along the top edge of the hair. MBR imaging and NIR spectroscopy confirmed the use of indigo, a plant-derived blue dye that was also used as a pigment in Roman Egypt, in the hair.
Panel Painting Fragment (KM 23976)
This painting was also discovered at Karanis—House B4, Room M—and was originally cataloged as a “fragmentary portrait of a woman.” At first glance, the painting sort of looks like it could depict long hair, but the image is difficult to read under visible light. Infrared light revealed something entirely different—a bird with a medallion around its neck and a wreath clutched in its talons. The medallion contains orpiment and would originally have appeared almost golden in color. The wreath suggests that this bird may have been an eagle—and that the panel may have been connected to military culture.
We have site-specific papyrological and archaeological evidence of a military presence at Karanis during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, when Roman soldiers and military veterans settled in the village after serving in the army. While we don’t know exactly what kind of object this eagle panel comes from, it’s easy to imagine this painting having a presence in the home of a retired Roman officer. The objects found in the room with it, including coins dating to the 2nd century CE, a sandal fragment, fruit (specifically dates), and various vessels, paint a picture of domestic life in the space this panel was discovered.
Clapper (KM 26369a-c)
This wooden castanet with clappers was made from a repurposed weaver’s comb. This percussive instrument was discovered in a house (C29), and it is decorated with red-painted incised lines.
A blotch of red color is visible on the clapper’s handle—under UV light, this area luminesces a distinct orange-pink color characteristic of madder lake. It almost looks as if the artist who was painting in the incised lines got some of the organic red paint on their finger or thumb and left an unintended mark on the handle.
