Analysis: The Egyptian Coffin After Burial

Johanna Movassat
Art History
12 April 2012
The Egyptian Coffin After Burial As a child, ancient egyptian history was my escape. I would sit under my covers for hours reading books I had recently checked out from my city library about pharaohs, pyramids, and my favorite subject of all, Cleopatra. When visiting The Rosicrucian Museum of San Jose, I felt like a child agin. While touring the many different exhibits, I became more excited and interested one after another. After carefully reviewing over 4 pairs of artifacts, I chose to compare and contrast a predynastic box coffin and a Middle Kingdom coffin. The predynastic box coffin dates back to 3200 B.C.E and is not adorned with any after life offerings or scriptures, while the coffin of Lady
Mesehti is adorned extravagantly. I believe these two coffins show how the egyptian civilization progressed, from modest beginnings to how the egyptians viewed wealth in the after life after prosperity. (Rosicrucian Museum) At first glance, the early dynastic coffin appears to be some sort of crate or chest. After further investigation, I came to learn that ancient Egypt’s unique traditions were largely formed during the early dynastic period. During this time, prosperity and tradition became widespread. Egyptian kings have gained notoriety in todays society for their mysterious, yet divine rule. (Rosicrucian Museum) The king was considered the omnipotent ruler of upper and lower Egypt. Because egyptian rulers were so highly respected, they were buried in mastabas. These types of tombs first appear in the Predynastic period when they were used to protect the burial of Kings. The form of the mastaba at the time was limited to oblong heaps of stone which would cover the grave. The mastaba would alter very slightly in the Old Kingdom to become heaps of stone covered with flat blocks. These blocks were still just a covering for the real tomb, the body was still buried in the ground. A narrow shaft would lead down to a small chamber in the rock, it was here that the body would have its final resting place. After the burial chamber was sealed off and the shaft was filled with rubble, the mastaba would then become the focal point for friends and relatives of the deceased to bring offerings for the Ka or soul, and recite magical prayers. Also, nobles, family members, and even pets were buried with their possessions in pits surrounding these mastabas so that they could be together in the after life. Early dynastic burials are characterized by the placement of the deceased in a fetal position inside a small coffin that is then hidden away inside a mastaba. Precisely the type of coffin I examined at The Rosicrucian Museum. Bodies were preserved naturally inside the mastaba by drying in the desert sand. With the development of tombs later in the century, which were cool and dank, bodies rotted and the ancient Egyptians had to experiment with new methods of artificially preserving bodies. Though in its infancy, the science of mummification was born. (Digital Egypt For Universities) This early dynastic coffin is known to be from the second dynasty and dates to sometime before 3200 B.C.E.
It is small and put together with many different sized pieces of cedar wood. It is rectangular in shape and has a lid that keeps it closed. The discovery of the coffin is quite interesting, it was discovered in the city of Tar-khan in a cemetery chamber that was sealed off. Early coffins, such as this one, were often very simple and small. Though it is small, it was made for a fully grown adult. In order to fit inside this coffin the deceased would have been curled up into a fetal position. The coffin would have then simply been buried in the sand. This coffin was not buried in the ground, but was hidden in a chamber. When the coffin was opened, the body inside the coffin was wrapped in layers of linens but not mummified. Interestingly enough, The Rosicrucian Museum also houses the body that was inside the coffin. The body of the man is still wrapped delicately in linen, while looking at it, one can only imagine the time and precision ancient egyptians used when preparing their dead for the after life. I feel for the man though, how could he have ever imagined his bod would one day be on display. (Rosicrucian
Museum) In comparison, the Middle Kingdom coffin of Lady Mesehti is lovely. It originates at the site of Asyut in Egypt, dating back to 2066-1781 B.C.E. Beni Hassan was the location of a prominent Middle Kingdom necropolis. The rock cut tombs were the burial chambers for extended families who lived over 4000 years ago. Discovered early, many of these tombs were plundered, but not Lady Mesehti’s, she was found here. Here, the coffin begins to look like the coffins we are more familiar with today. It is longer in width than the previously examined predynastic one. Her coffin is also beautifully adorned with colorful images of eyes, cats, birds, and hieroglyphs. The style of the text and layout is specific to that site. In the museum case, the east side of the coffin faces the glass. The eyes were meant to face the rising sun each day. Meat, bread, and beer were also found resting on side tables for easy access in the afterlife. (Rosicrucian Museum) Lady Mesehti was honored with this wooden mummy case from the town of Asyut, the town is about equidistant between Thebes in the south and Memphis in the north. Coffins from this town are easy to identify. They are simple in style, with offerings painted along the sides. Between the images of gifts for the deceased are the vertical names of sponsoring gods and goddesses in husband and wife pairs, such as Horace and Isis. The eastern side of the coffin was easy to identify because the eyes are meant to witness the rising of the sun each morning. The box’s western side is missing, although many historians believe that it currently resides at the Brooklyn Museum in New York. The companion panel features pictures of mirrors, sandals, and cosmetics, more offerings. The eastern side of the coffin includes the name of the owner, Lady Mesehti in the inscriptions, while the western side does not. (Discovery Channel) Therefore, The Rosicrucian Museum is working with the Brooklyn Museum to help them identify the owner of their coffin panel. Today, Museums all over the world have increased their contacts and their cooperation with other institutions to gather information about the artifacts in their collection and assist others in their pursuit of knowledge. (Rosicrucian Museum) In conclusion, my purpose at The Rosicrucian Museum may have been for an assignment, but I learned so much more about the progress of the egyptian civilization than I could have ever imagined. Comparing and contrasting coffins from two different periods helped aid my understanding of the ancient Egyptians view of afterlife. In the predynastic period, before Egypt became wealthy and powerful, the ancient peoples honored their dead. They honored them small coffins and burial very deep down in the desert sand under mastabas. Soon enough, coffins, graves, and burials became more extravagant depending on your social status and how wealthy you were. The coffin of Lady Mesehti is an example of this extravagance. Her coffin may be simple in style, but is adorned with paintings of offerings to the Gods along the sides of the coffin. Also, between the images of the offerings, the names of Gods and Goddesses in husband and wife pairs is written vertically. (Rosicrucian Museum) With this said, it is easy to see how quickly Egyptian civilization prospered from the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom.
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Early dynastic coffin, Old Kingdom, Dynasty 2 c. 3050-2663 B.C.E
Made of cedar wood, found in Tar-khan, Egypt. Taken by author.

Coffin of Lady Mesehti, Middle Kingdom c. 2066-1781 B.C.E
Made of wood, found in Tar-khan, Egypt. Taken by author.