How do mummy masks act? This question is the starting point for the present investigation, consciously aiming towards a new perspective of research. In contrast to the modern point of view, mummy masks cannot simply be regarded as inanimate objects, but should rather be seen as autonomous entities. Depending on the particular context, they could become subjects and were therefore regarded as agents equal to human beings in antiquity. Therefore, the book seeks to explore how mummy masks acquired such a status and in which situations this happened.
"[...] The range of aspects that the author has covered with so much knowledge and methodological rigour is truly impressive, and she offers for the first time a more holistic approach to an important part of Egyptian culture of the imperial period. One could easily imagine a researcher running out of steam after collecting the evidence and describing and analysing the masks and their decoration. What makes this book so much more than
a convenient presentation of material is the insistence that the masks had a function; and that they integrated well into millennia-old religious traditions and beliefs, where they could assume magical powers and support the transition of the deceased into a living divine being. In doing so, Asja Müller has also demonstrated that these masks should be of interest not just to art historians and archaeologists, but to historians as well, since they contribute to our wider understanding of Roman Egypt and its societies. While a German book of 428 pages may look intimidating to non-native speakers, it is worth the effort of engaging with it, and both the clear and accessible writing style and the conclusions (Auswertung) following each sub-section are helpful."
By Barbara E. Borg
In: Bonner Jahrbücher, Bd. 221 (2021), S. 335-339
a convenient presentation of material is the insistence that the masks had a function; and that they integrated well into millennia-old religious traditions and beliefs, where they could assume magical powers and support the transition of the deceased into a living divine being. In doing so, Asja Müller has also demonstrated that these masks should be of interest not just to art historians and archaeologists, but to historians as well, since they contribute to our wider understanding of Roman Egypt and its societies. While a German book of 428 pages may look intimidating to non-native speakers, it is worth the effort of engaging with it, and both the clear and accessible writing style and the conclusions (Auswertung) following each sub-section are helpful."
By Barbara E. Borg
In: Bonner Jahrbücher, Bd. 221 (2021), S. 335-339