Persian Mumia

A kingly gift and miraculous cure-all

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2391298
AutoresSamantha Happe (0000-0001-5105-199X, The University of Melbourne Faculty of Arts, autor correspondente)
Ano2025
Volume30
Fascículo2
Páginas152-170
Data de publicação2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Material Culture (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1359-1835 • E-ISSN: 1460-3586
EditoraSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/13591835241311781
OpenAlexW4407004743
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas30

Mumia is a bituminous material with legendary curative properties, whose meaning is dependent on its geographical and temporal contexts. To the Persians, mumia bore complex symbolic meanings associations with royal power and dynastic legitimacy, meanings it served to convey when employed as a diplomatic gift. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, mumia was included in ensembles to European princes by Shahs of the Safavid, Zand, and Qajar dynasties. By giving appropriate weight to the evidence of the exchanged gift itself and the context in its presentation, it is possible to better understand the underlying motivations of the giver in the three diplomatic encounters. This results in a shift away from a diplomatic history based on written documentation, towards a clearer, more accurate understanding of cross-cultural diplomatic exchanges grounded in the object

Ancient history · Art · Persian · Theology · Byzantine Studies and History · Historical and Literary Studies · Historical Influence and Diplomacy · History · Philosophy