Egyptian city of Thebes (,modern day Luxor) dayduring the reign of Ramesses XI, he was successful and well-respected; his workplace, the temple complex of Karnak was one of the ancient world's impressive sacred sites.
Nesyamun rejoiced in the prestigious title of "Keeper of the Bulls", true, he had to eat bread that was full grit and caused his teeth to fallout, but then so did everybody' in Egypt at that time.
Even when he died, in 1100 BC, at the age of forty, Nesyamun was well looked after, his body was scented with cinnamon and carefully embalmed, perfumed and wrapped in the finest linen, and secured within two handsome wooden coffins, each tastefully decorated with scenes from mythology.
The next 3,000 years passed pretty much without incident for Nesyamun the priest, but then he was
moved to Leeds, every thing started to go,wrong.
In 1822, Nesyamun's tomb at Deirdre el Bahri was unearthed by an antiquarian-cum-grave robber named M.J. Passalacqua, Nesyamun now was not just a dead priest, he was now archaeological property.
His arrival in the industrial West Ridings was the work of a Leeds banker, John Bkades, who purchased the mummified priest and presented it to Leeds Literary and Philosophical Society, founded in 1819, the society had the backing of some of the city's most distinguished personages, the surgeon Thackrah the industrialists, John Marshall and Benjamin Golt also the newspaper proprietor Edward Baines were among the founding fathers who propelled the society to the forefront of Leeds cultural and intellectual life, the society had dabbled in Egyptology before bit were let down when their first mummy, when unwrapped, was discovered to have been devoured by beetles, therefore were thrilled to have another mummy before them.
Nesyamun arrived Leeds in 1828, his 'unrolling' as the unwrapping of mummies was known, as the
wrappings around Nesyamun's fragile body were drawn away they found th body was packed with
cinnamon, they noted that the priests nose had been squashed by the pressure of the bandages, also
the priests brains had been pulled out through the right nostril, they were surprised that Nesyamun's
body was not wearing the serene and dignified facial expressionexpexted of the dead,he had been
embalmed with his rogue stuck out,it may have been that the priest had died from an allergic
reaction to an insect bite or was strangled to death.
After much prodding and poking abou they packed away Nesyamun' away again.
The priest was not alone, two other mummies had arrived the same time of the priest and were our
into the society's fault.
The 2nd World War broke out in Septmeber 1939, on the night of the 14th of March 1941 at 9pm,
the people of Leeds scurried to their bomb shelters , the Luftwaffe planes bombed the city centre,
many of the city's landmarks were targeted ; bombs fell on The Town Hall, the Infirmary,
Kirkgate Market,Netherlands Quarry Hills flats, Park square and Leeds Literary and Philosophical
Society Park Row museum, the museum was hit hard.
When the bombing ripped through the museum the fragile mummies never stood a chance,two
were blown apart, utterly destroyed, 3,000 years of existence brought to a devasting end.
The third mummie, had its sarcophagus splinted into pieces nand it's nose smashed off.
This resilient mummie was Nesyamun "Keeper of the Bulls at the temple of Karnak" .
intact, but it's nose was smashed off.
Nesyamun was destined to survive....
Egyptian artefacts, many of whic have never been outside London.
They are part of the British Museum's Egyptian Collection.