Body, Cosmos and Eternity: New Trends of Research on Iconography and Symbolism of Ancient Egyptian Coffins

In February 2013, the Symposium Body, Cosmos and Eternity: the Symbolism of Coffins in Ancient Egypt convened at the historical building of the University of Porto to debate conceptual frameworks underlying the contemporary study of Egyptian coffins. Rising from the close association with the depiction of the mummified body, the anthropoid coffins soon absorbed a rich mythological imaginary related to the constellation of Nut, the mother goddess of the sky supposed to give birth to Osiris, and evolved continuously, integrating larger and more complex sets of beliefs, mirroring the increasingly bolder use of coffins in the funerary rituals. It was this complex set of beliefs involving the coffin that we proposed to explore in this series of symposia. Following our original purpose, the studies presented in this volume display an excellent overview on the new trends of research on coffin studies, with diverse contributions concerned either with symbolism or social significance of coffins, museums´ collections or archaeological finds. These studies superbly showcase the richness of coffins as documental sources for the study of Egyptian religion, economy and society.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Part I : Studies on Coffin Symbolism: From skin wrappings to architecture: The evolution of prehistoric, anthropoid wrappings to historic architectonic coffins/sarcophagi

separate contrasts optimally fused in single Theban ‘stola’ coffins (±975-920 BC). (René van Walsem)

Permeable containers: Body and cosmos in Middle Kingdom coffins (Rune Nyord)

Ancient Egyptian funerary arts as social documents: social place, reuse, and working towards a new typology of 21st Dynasty coffins (Kathlyn M. Cooney)

Representations of passage in ancient Egyptian iconography (Éva Liptay)

Crossing the landscapes of eternity: parallels between Amduat and funeral procession scenes on the 21st Dynasty coffins (Cássio de Araújo Duarte)

‘Spread your wings over me’: iconography, symbolism and meaning of the central panel on yellow coffins (Rogério Sousa)

Resurrection in a box: the 25th Dynasty burial ensemble of Padiamunet (Cynthia May Sheikholeslami)

Gods at all hours: Saite Period coffins of the ‘eleven-eleven’ type (Jonathan Elias and Carter Lupton)

Part II : Studies on Museums’ Collections and Archaeological Finds: Continuity in times of transition: the inner coffin of the mistress of the house Gem-tu-es in Vevey (Switzerland) (Alexandra Küffer)

Egyptian coffins in Portugal (Luís Manuel de Araújo)

Cercueils jaunes des XXIe et XXIIe Dynasties dans les collections Françaises (Alain Dautant)

Lot 14 from Bab el-Gasus (Sweden and Norway): the modern history of the collection and a reconstruction of the ensembles (Anders Bettum)

The coffins of the priests of Amun: a socio-economic investigation on Bab el-Gasus cachette (Elena Paganini)

Coffins without mummies: the Tomb KV 63 in the Valley of the Kings (Rogério Sousa)