Linen from the burial of Sebekhetepi
From the tomb of Sebekhetepi, Beni Hasan, Egypt
Middle Kingdom, about 2125-1795 BC
This large fringed sheet of linen was probably originally part of the household linen of Sebekhetepi's family. Linen items were sometimes included in burials, for use in the Afterlife. The fact that these are often threadbare and darned suggests that they had been heavily used before being placed in the tomb.
Few examples of textiles have been found in a domestic setting; most come from burials, either for use in the Afterlife, or torn up and used as wrappings on the mummy. Fragments of cloth can provide a great deal of information. Some bandages have been torn from loincloths, tunics and other items of clothing. One individual was even wrapped in a torn-up sail.
The fabric is woven of relatively coarse threads, which would not have been suitable for most items of clothing or ritual cloth. The cloth used in temples and for the garments of the king were of the finest weave.
The fringe is sewn on to the fabric, rather than being the loose warp threads, which are hemmed.