Map Ankh's Journey

USE A WORLD MAP AND THESE CLUES to chart Ankh-Wennefer's journey from Egypt to America.

CLUE 1: More than 2,600 years ago, Ankh-Wennefer served as a priest in the Temple of Min, located in Akhmim, Egypt. Hint: It's on the Nile River.

CLUE 2: 1884. Excavations are undertaken in Akhmim by the director of the antiquities service, a Frenchman by the name of Gaston Maspero.

CLUE 3: February 1891. Tacoma, Washington businessman Allen C. Mason arrives in Cairo, Egypt and begins his search for a mummy-the quintessential souvenir.

CLUE 4: 1891. Ankh-Wennefer and his coffin cases are purchased by Mason in Luxor, Egypt. Hint: Luxor is now called Al Uqsur.

CLUE 5: February 11, 1891. Mason writes to his wife, Libby, from Cairo. "My royal mummy is on board with me. An Egyptologist from Oxford translated enough of the hieroglyphics on the case to determine that he was a prophet who lived about 1200 B.C. I've got his name and his pedigree, etc. etc. Hope to have no trouble in getting him out of the country."

CLUE 6: Ankh-Wennefer is shipped to Yokohama, Japan, then on to Portland, Oregon.

CLUE 7: Ankh-Wennefer travels by train from Portland, Oregon to Tacoma, Washington.

CLUE 8: July 8, 1891. A "Mummy Unwrapping Party" is held at Mason's office. Many of Ankh-Wennefer's wrappings are removed, revealing his crossed-arm position.

CLUE 9: October 1898. Ankh-Wennefer is donated to the Ferry Museum, inspiring the fabled Ankh Unnofei Club at Tacoma High School.

CLUE 10: 1911. The Ferry Museum and the Washington State Historical Society Museum open a new museum building. Ankh-Wennefer quickly becomes one of the most popular exhibits.

CLUE 11: 1985. Ankh-Wennefer is taken off WSHS exhibit. Shortly thereafter, CAT-scans to view his skeleton and burial preparation are conducted.

CLUE 12: 1993. Ankh-Wennefer and his coffin cases are loaned to and conserved by the Kelowna Museum in British Columbia. This was the last time Ankh-Wennefer was on display.

DIG DEEPER

Resignation or Respect?

Hidden in the Hieroglyphics

Pictures in the Paintings

Allen C. Mason (thought to be on right) visited Egypt as part of his around-the-world cruise in 1891. He purchased Ankh-Wennefer and his coffins in Luxor, a city about 250 miles south of Cairo on the Nile River.