Research Paper On Coffin Of Horankh

Ancient Egyptian embalming was a very sacred process performed by experienced embalmers. Ancient Egyptians used to bury the deceased underground, but because of that they decayed faster in a coffin when they aren’t exposed to the hot sand of the desert. That is how they developed the process of embalming to preserve the bodies.

The Mummy Case of Paankhenamun was composed of a substance known as cartonnage, which was usually made out of linen or papyrus strips bound together with a sticky substance in order to form a flexible shell. After mummification, the wrapped body was placed in the coffin-case through the back, which was then laced up and a footboard was added for support. Only then the case was ready to be painted. Such cartonnage cases as the case of Paankhenamun were normally placed inside one or more layered wooden coffins and were also decorated. The innermost coffin was always in the shape of the mummy and due to its utmost importance, it was the case with the richest decorations. The amazing detail is still a wonder to many historians and anthropologists (Stockstad 120-3).

The Gravestone of a Woman with her attendant is a sculpture created by an unknown artist and is now on display at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California. The sculpture is of a woman seated in a cushioned armchair, reaching out to lightly touch the top of a box or chest held by her attendant. We can tell from the sculpture that the women is of a higher class because of how her hair is done, the significant amount of jewelry, and the decorated throne that she lounges in. This sculpture is an extremely detailed Grecian gravestone made from a thick slab of colorless marble around 100 B.C.

The animal chosen is a Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) depicted on this coffin, the titled is “Painted Wooden Coffin of the Sacred Ibis of Thoth” dated between 332–30 BC in the Ptolemaic era . On the coffin is a large painting of a sacred ibis. The Ibis is sitting down waiting for judgement, it has it beak on the feather of truth . There also is a man hold his arms in the air as if worshipping. In addition, there is the god Horus holding an anuk. Furthermore, a winged sun god on the coffin above the pictures .

The coffin and mummy of Djedmaatesankh are known as one of the few unopened coffins, retaining the original seal. Currently, it has been decided not to open the coffin in order to examine the mummy within due to the fact that it would severely damage the artwork and hieroglyphs that have been painted on the outside. The coffin is made of cartonnage, which is created with moulded linen and plaster and is painted on the outermost layer. These paintings describe the story of Djedmaatesankh’s life, as well as references to the Book of Caverns in order to provide the body “with safe protection as it makes its journey through the underworld on its way to eternal life in the Field of Reeds”. The coffin is from the 3rd intermediate period of ancient Egyptian culture and has been dated to 945-715 BC, coinciding with the 22nd Dynasty in which Ian Shaw relays that the “Chief of the Meshwesh Sheshonq (King Sheshonq I)” ruled. The base materials used are linen and plaster to form the cartonnage, and the artwork on the outermost layer uses a combination of paint and gold leaf to create depictions of Djedmaatesankh’s life. Ancient Egyptians used paint made from a mixture of pigment and plaster to paint on coffins and sarcophagi, and the higher classes used increased amounts of gold leaf as well. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin would be classified as funerary art, which had been created to be of use in funerary rituals and practices. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin is an excellent example of the extensive

The Egyptians believed that the human soul used the first night after death to travel into the afterlife. The body, which the

Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece both believed in life after death, though the process in which they follow that belief differ greatly. The Greeks believed that at the moment of death the spirit leaves the body in the form of a little gust of wind or a puff of breath. The Greeks believed in proper burial rights that were performed in three parts, and the relatives mostly women are the ones that conduct these rituals for the deceased. Much like the modern world these rituals consist of the first step; laying out the body to be dressed, the second funeral procession, and the third step was the cremation of the body. Unlike the Greeks the Egyptians developed a process in which they prepared and preserved the dead for the afterlife, known as mummification. This process is believed to have been the purpose of the Egyptians famous pyramids, believed to be the stairs that would lead the Pharaohs to their kingdom in the afterlife. Artifacts are buried in their tombs such as gold, wine, and sculptures to accompany the dead in life after death.

This approach to the opening of the chamber demonstrates Carter’s caution that he took into the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the transportation of the contents that was inside it. Carter opened the burial chamber and when he did he was confronted by the golden walls and two large statues “So enormous was this structure (17 feet by 11 feet, and 9 feet high, we found out afterwards) that it filled within a little the entire area of the chamber” gives an accurate description of these statues and an accurate account of the amount of artefacts that were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Among the many artworks I have seen, I decided to discuss about the “Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women)” from the Roman civilization. It was built sometime in between 140 A.D. to 170 A.D and is approximately forty and a half inches in length, ninety-one and a half inches in width, and fifty and a half inches tall in height (“Roman Sarcophagus”). This masterpiece appealed to me because of the unique approach that has been designed to honor the deceased. Many people are familiar with the formatting and inscriptions of a gravestone because it is usually engraved with an individual’s full name, birth date, and death date. During the Roman Empire, a sarcophagus, which is a coffin, was widely used to show decorative themes that includes: battle scenes, hunting scenes, weddings, or other memorable episodes from the life of the deceased individual. The most luxurious ones were made from marble surrounded by symbolic sculptures, figures and inscriptions on all four sides (“Sarcophagus”). Another feature that captured my attention was the large quantity of details used to bring out a lifelike aspect of the deceased individual’s favorable moments in their life. In this artwork, this sarcophagus was dedicated to a Roman commander. The exterior of the sarcophagus has been well-decorated and carved with exquisite details depicting a battle scene

The Egyptians also worried very much about the after life and made many preparations before the afterlife. There graves were very important to them, and they also did much to keep them from decaying after they passed. That is why they had the idea of mummification to allow them to not decay long after they passed. We also pay a lot of money to allow us to keep from decaying on our burials and the coffins.

Tutankhamun’s tomb is thus unique as it was not initially intended for use by a Pharaoh. It is of much smaller scale to other Eighteenth Dynasty royal tombs, and contradicts the traditional structural design. The tomb’s location was also not usually associated with royal burials. The burial chamber walls were uniquely the only tomb walls decorated, and the tomb was preserved largely intact in near-original condition.

form of a bird usually a falcon and fly around in the world of the living

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

“The Mummy” derives from ancient egyptian Mythology, and adopts specific traditions carried out the majority of Mummy folklore. Mummies are frequently (however with exception) Pharaohs, their wives of family, high ranking officials such or scribes or priests, or wealthy members of the society. The rituals are very detailed, with each facet serving a specific purpose. In passing, the organs are removed carefully and placed in canopic jars to be buried with the deceased. The remaining body parts are wrapped in cloth, and placed in ornate coffins called Sarcophagus, often detailing a likeness of the body it holds, or ancient script describing their life death or instructions into death. Any striations from this ritual often symbolizes a misconduct within their lifetime, and being mummified alive signifying a fate worse than death. This theme of ritual and tradition is heavily prevalent in Grant Allen’s short story My New Year’s Eve among the Mummies. The main character J. Arbuthnot Wilson recounts a strange memory/dream of spending a night in the great unopened Pyramid of Abu Yilla in Egypt. Wilson stumbles upon/is psychically drawn to the Pyramid, and interrupts a ritual in which occurs once every 1000 years. The court of Pharaoh Thothmes lives is in permanent slumber, yet arises once every 1000 years for

The shrine of Tutankhamun uncovers the burial customs of the New Kingdom Egyptians. The Canopic Shrine positioned on the east wall of the Treasury holds Tutankhamun's embalmed internal organs. A gold chest held four Canopic jars containing the dead pharaoh's internal organs in each jar. Undoubtedly, through the process of mummification, the embalmers must have removed the internal organs and preserved them in the Canopic jars, perhaps to be taken with the pharaoh to the next world. The third and innermost of three coffins of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold and is inset with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. It is covered with carved decorations and inscriptions inside and outside. It bears the names and epitaph of the deceased king and also protective texts. From this we discover the significance of the importance of the decoration of the mummy was, and the power the coffin was believed to hold. Originally, mummification was so expensive that it was a privilege enjoyed only by the Pharaoh and few nobles. Everybody else was given a simple grave burial in one of the vast cemeteries or "necropolises" of the time. But the promise of eternal life was so appealing that it wasn't long before other classes of Egyptians began signing up for mummification, too.