Friday 27/March/2026 – 12:53 PM
The administration of the Luxor Museum of Ancient Egyptian Art shed light on one of the most important burial patterns in ancient Egypt, which is the human coffin (Anthropoid Sarcophagus), which is considered one of the most prominent funerary symbols that reflected the idea of resurrection and immortality among the ancient Egyptians.
The human coffin
The appearance of this type of coffins dates back to the era of the Middle Kingdom, and reached its peak during the era of the New Kingdom, where the deceased was depicted in a full Osiris form, with symbolic features that include wigs, crossed arms, and a chest necklace, indicating his connection to the god Osiris, the god of the dead.
The materials for manufacturing these coffins varied between wood, stone, pottery, clay, and precious metals, and they were decorated with religious texts and scenes from the Book of the Dead, with the aim of providing magical protection for the deceased during his journey in the other world, and ensuring the continued existence of his soul (ba).
The coffin was also considered an “eternal home” for the soul, a symbolic embodiment of the god Osiris, and a holder of complex doctrinal functions that reflect the ancient Egyptian philosophy of the afterlife.
One of the most prominent royal examples is the coffin of Queen Tausert, the last queen of the Nineteenth Dynasty and wife of King Seti II, which was found in the Valley of the Kings (KV14), while studies indicate that some coffins were reused in later eras, such as tomb KV13 on the western mainland.
One of the coffins made of pink granite is one of the unique models, as it weighs about 6 tons, with dimensions approximately 270 x 130 x 51 cm. It consists of a lid and a box. The lid shows the queen in the Osirian form, surrounded by funerary scenes and the four sons of Horus protecting the canopic vessels. This model reflects the extent of artistic and ideological development in the design of coffins during the New Kingdom era.
