The Egyptian sarcophagus stands as a testament to ancient artistry, crafted from wood or limestone to honor the afterlife of Egypt's leaders and wealthy.
Egyptian sarcophagus is one of Egyptian art that was an applied art to serve earthly life and life after death. One of the arts in which the ancient Egyptians excelled and mastered to serve his requirements was the art of carpentry, a craft that became one of the most essential crafts and professions in Egyptian civilization. The ancient Egyptians’ prowess in the art of carpentry first appears in the manufacture of sarcophagus.
The Egyptian sarcophagus is the most crucial element in the burial process because it is the shelter or place in which the body of the deceased is placed. Sarcophagus differ from each other in terms of shape, decoration, and the materials from which they are made, as this depends on the religious beliefs and customs of each era. The lid of the sarcophagus represented the sky, the bottom represented the earth, and the four sides represented the four original directions. The deceased was placed in the coffin with his head facing north and his face facing east, where the sun rose, a symbol of resurrection.
Egyptian Sarcophagus.
What was the Egyptian sarcophagus like throughout the ages?
1- The coffin in the ancient and pre-dynastic era:
In the ancient era, the burial process (Egyptian sarcophagus) was carried out by wrapping the body of the deceased in mats or animal skin and then placing it in a circular hole in the fetal position. The coffin appeared for the first time as a funerary item in the pre-dynastic era (the First and Second Dynasties), where the body of the deceased was placed in containers made of pottery or wooden boards with an arched (semicircular) lid.
2- The Egyptian sarcophagus in the Old Kingdom era:
Polished stone sarcophagi made of granite or limestone appeared in the Old Kingdom. They were devoid of any inscriptions or writings and had a rectangular base and a flat lid. In the late Old Kingdom, the outer sides of the coffin began to be decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions expressing funerary formulas. They were also decorated with the Eye of Horus (Ojat), which represents the eye of the deceased through which he sees the outside world and communicates with the world of the living. On the inner sides of the coffin, the formulas for food and drink offerings were engraved instead of the actual offerings, as happens on the offering table. As for the coffins of high-ranking nobles and kings, such as Menkaure, they contained an external molding representing the facade of the palace (serekh in ancient Egyptian language).
3- The sarcophagus in the era of the first transition:
In the era of the first transition, the manufacture of wooden coffins that were suitable from a material standpoint for the nobles and the ordinary people spread, as religious democracy granted them the right to be buried in coffins like kings, and their coffins were decorated with inscriptions and writings taken from the pyramid texts. Still, kings continued to be buried in stone sarcophagi.
Egyptian Sarcophagus.
4- The coffin in the Middle Kingdom era:
The Middle Kingdom era is characterized by the spread of wooden coffins decorated with many geometric drawings and hieroglyphic inscriptions that convey what is known as the pyramid texts or coffin texts. A list of funerary furniture has begun to be recorded. In the Eleventh Dynasty, coffins appeared made of bright white limestone slabs engraved with scenes of daily life of fantastic beauty and elegance. As for the stone sarcophagi in the Twelfth Dynasty, they are among the most beautiful coffins in terms of shape, decoration, and material, and they contain molding representing the facade of the palace.
5- The coffin in the era of the Second Transition:
At the end of the era of the Second Transition, coffins appeared that took the human form and were decorated with many designs, with an emphasis on showing the face, hands, jewelry, and hair styling. The most beautiful example of coffins from this period is the coffin of King Camus in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
6- The sarcophagus during the era of the New Kingdom:
Coffins that took human form continued in the New Kingdom and were often overlapping coffins (a coffin within a coffin). With the development of the reverence of the minister (Osiris), the latter began to appear on the coffin, through which the identity of the deceased was identified. These coffins were decorated simply in the beginning, but during the Ramesside era, richly decorated coffins that represented scenes and scenes from the Book of the Dead began to appear. For nobles and kings, a massive coffin of stone or wood was used to place human-shaped coffins. In some cases, the human-shaped coffin was made of stone in the form of a cartouche and carried the image of the deceased carved in deep relief. Among the most famous coffins and sarcophagi of this era in Egyptian history are the golden coffins of King Tutankhamun and his beautifully decorated stone sarcophagus.
7- The Egyptian coffin in the era of the Third Transition:
In the era of the Third Transition, coffins of the Egyptian sarcophagus began to be decorated with religious scenes representing the revival of the deceased again, such as the scene of the cycle of the sun, the scene of the trial in the afterlife (the weight of the heart), and other scenes that were previously designated for decorating the walls of tombs. The most important feature of the Twenty-Second Dynasty coffins is their decoration with a scene of the goddess Nut (the goddess of the sky).
8- The Egyptian sarcophagus in the late era:
the Egyptian sarcophagus in the late era, there was a return to the vast classical sarcophagi made of granite, basalt, or schist, decorated with many shapes of deities and religious texts, and with a round cover to suit the shape and size of mummies. In the Ptolemaic era, the face of the deceased began to be embodied on the coffin, and it was decorated with wigs and some writings congratulating the deceased on his journey through the dangers of the afterlife to reach the green fields.
9- The coffin in the era of collapse:
The coffin of the Egyptian sarcophagus in the era of collapse became very simple, as cardboard, which is layers of papyrus or linen covered with plaster, began to be used. This plaster was decorated with gold and bright colors, and the picture of the deceased was drawn on this plaster or drawn on a board that was fixed with bands over the face of the deceased, like Fayoum’s portraits.
Egyptian Sarcophagus.
