Tongue Cover-Plate Explained

Tongue Cover-Plates were gold foil amulets placed over the tongues of some Egyptian mummies.^[1] This mainly took place during the Greco-Roman period although examples from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty have been found at Oxyrhynchus.^{[2] [3]} This funerary ritual appears to have been to done in the belief that it would help the dead individual speak in the afterlife.^[4] They were sometimes accompanied by gold eye amulets.

In the 21st century examples of such amulets have been found at Oxyrhynchus, Quesna and Taposiris Magna.^[5]  In the 19th century finds were made at Tell Nabasha, San el-Hagar and Hawara.^{[6] [7] [8]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Tongue Cover-Plate . liverpoolmuseums.org.uk . National Museums Liverpool . 31 March 2023.
2. News: Jarus . Owen . 1 December 2022 . Gold tongues found in 2,000-year-old mummies in Egypt . Live Science . 31 March 2023.  
3. News: Geggel . Laura . 9 December 2021 . Mummy with gold-foil 'tongue' found in sealed Egyptian tomb . Live Science . 31 March 2023.  
4. News: Davis-Marks . Isis . 3 February 2021 . Archaeologists in Egypt Discover Mummy With Gold Tongue . Smithsonian Magazine . 31 March 2023.  
5. News: Jarus . Owen . 1 February 2021 . Mummy with a gold tongue found in Egypt . Live Science . 31 March 2023.
6. Book: Riggs, Christina . 2013 . World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum: A Characterization . Archaeopress. . 120 . 9781905739585 .
7. Web site: cover-plate . britishmuseum.org . British Museum . 31 March 2023.
8. Web site: cover-plate. britishmuseum.org . British Museum . 31 March 2023.