Outer coffin of Gua
From the tomb of Gua, Deir el-Bersha,
Egypt
12th Dynasty, 1985-1795
BC
With maps showing the route to the
underworld
During the Middle Kingdom (about 2040-1750 BC)
the exterior of outer coffins was mainly decorated with
hieroglyphic
texts. The characters were incised and filled with coloured
pigment. The lid of this coffin is inscribed with an address to
Anubis,
while on the sides there are addresses to
Osiris,
Isis
and
Nephthys,
all gods who were associated with the dead. The vertical
inscriptions that divide the coffin into panels guarantee the
protection of
Shu,
Tefnut
and other deities. A pair of eyes was placed on one side of the
coffin so that Gua's mummy could see through to the rising
sun.
The interior of the
coffin is decorated on all its surfaces. There are several themes,
including maps of the route to the Underworld, which are part of
the
Book
of Two Ways. This book
formed part of the
Coffin
Texts, that were
intended to help the deceased reach the Afterlife. The
Coffin Texts are also
inscribed on the interior of the coffin, in columns of cursive
hieroglyphic script. There are also representations of objects
required for the Afterlife, including food and an offering list.
These representations were believed to act magically in the place
of real items. The offering list guaranteed that the food would be
provided eternally.
J.H. Taylor, Egyptian coffins (Aylesbury, Shire Publications, 1989)
I. Shaw and P. Nicholson (eds.), British Museum dictionary of A (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
S. Quirke and A.J. Spencer, The British Museum book of anc (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)
