The Funerary Process of the Ancient Egyptians

In Ancient Egypt there was a great deal of importance placed on the funerary process. This importance is what inspired what we look at today as some of the most exquisite works of art in the world. The relics from tombs and other rituals have left us with pieces of art which are not only served as aesthetically pleasing but also served a practical use for the Ancient Egyptians.

The Inner Coffin of Nes-mut-aat-neru is an example of the beautiful art that Ancient Egypt has contributed to the world of Art. The coffin, which is housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is kept in almost perfect condition.
The coffin is from the late period, dynasty 25, around 760-660 B.C. and it is composed of plastered cartonage over wood. What was surprising to me was that I discovered while examining the coffin, that it only stood 5 ½ feet tall.

My expectations were that it would be huge and overwhelming, but it was barely taller than I was. There are hieroglyphics on exterior of the coffin; they are painted in red, black, yellow, blue, flesh tone, white, and orange/brown. It is in good condition, kept preserved by the museum and it is roughly shaped like a female body. There is djed-pillar which is used for support in the back of the coffin.

Nes-mut-aat-neru is wearing a headdress over a long black wig. She is depicted as having large dark eyes which are expressed by being painted in black on the face. She also has very dark, defined eye brows painted on her face. While the detail to the hieroglyphics on the body of the coffin is fine, there is little definition to the mouth and nose areas on the face on the coffin. She is also has exaggerated ears and there is a small amount of discoloration on the neck area.

Underneath the neck there are bands of tiny red hearts painted on the upper shoulder area. There are also depictions of tiny white flowers on the upper shoulder area as well. There is detailed design on the bands that are painted over her body. The hieroglyphs on the coffin include the emblem of Osirus, along with other god's that were associated with the afterlife in Ancient Egypt. Osirus was "…believed to be the first pharaoh of Egypt." (Bergen).

A large depiction of Osirus spans the entirety of her chest, and there are also smaller depictions of Osirus placed through out rest of coffin. The hieroglyphs on the exterior of the coffin depict the process of death in Egyptian culture. There are six rows of hieroglyph symbols aligned at the bottom of the coffin. Each set of hieroglyphs are divided by bands of blue, green, and orange/brown patterns.

The central panel on the coffin shows a scarab guarding the mummy to the afterlife by flying over it; it is a sign of protection during the death process. The central band on the coffin also shows many of the afterlife gods helpful in the transition from our world to the afterlife. There is a detailed design on bands on the base of the coffin, with minor damage to the paint on the base of the coffin. There is a blue and orange/brown square pattern on the base of the coffin.

The coffin is very well preserved; it only has minor damage to it including a discoloration on the neck and minor paint damage on the base. The coffin itself is beautifully decorated in bright paint, with very extraordinary detail. The bands around the neck are very small showing that there was great attention to detail. The detail of the coffin shows that those who were decorating it put much care in to it because they knew the importance of it as a vessel in to the process of crossing in to the afterlife.
The coffin itself depicts the funerary process of the ancient Egyptians.

Each panel on the coffin shows a different step of the process that Egyptians took in order to ensure that the person would have a safe journey to the afterlife. The emphasis on religion in Ancient Egypt was very strong. "The Egyptians believed in an afterlife that mirrored their daily life on Earth." (Upenn). This statement shows how the Egyptians believed that where they went when they died was a place similar to Earth, so they were imminent on trying to do all that they could to be able to receive this "life after death" state of being.

The Egyptians believed that the items that were placed in your tomb when you died were significant in deciding whether or not you would receive admission in to the afterlife. If you were a wealthy person, you would have more riches and valuable goods in your tomb as an offering to pass in to the afterlife, and you were considered to have a better chance to travel to the afterlife. "…wealthier citizens would generally receive a better mummification." (Otey).

Nes-mut-aat-neru's coffin, in comparison to other coffins of this period, is exquisite for someone of her status. It is more intricate than a coffin of a lower class citizen would be, but it is still not as involved as a coffin of a king would be. For example, the inner coffin of King Tutankhamun is made of gold inlaid with glass, which is not only more aesthetically appeasing, but also extremely expensive. The coffin of Nes-mut-aat-neru is made of wood, which is a cheaper material to make a coffin out of than gold inlaying. The coffin of King Tut is also a foot longer than that of Nes-mut-aat-neru.

There is a distinct process that is outlined for what exactly occurs after a person dies in the Egyptian religion. First they must go before a panel of 14 judges, which will decide if the person has done just things during their life time. This is a type of judgment for the person who has died, and determines if they will be admitted in to the afterlife, "...the ankh, the key of life, appears in the hands of some of the judges." (Egyptian Belief in the Afterlife). Once the person has been seen by the judges they are then brought to a scale where their heart is weighed against a feather. If the heart weighs more than the feather then the person will be forced to live in limbo for the rest of time, and will not be allowed in to the afterlife.

This picture "Judgment Before Osirus" depicts the process of death in Ancient Egypt, displaying each step. It shows the 14 judges and the scale that the person's heart was weighed on.

Nes-mut-aat-neru's coffin was elaborate compared to some of the coffins of commoners in Egypt. Since she was a member of the aristocracy there was great detail placed in to the making and meaning of her coffin, to ensure that she would pass in to the afterlife. She was "…the wife of a high-ranking Theban priest…" (MFA) which meant that there was extra care placed in to her funerary process due to the fact that she was a member of the elite part of Egyptian society. It is estimated that Nes-mut-aat-neru died around 700 B.C. Her tomb "…was excavated in 1894." (MFA) and was the first time since she had been buried that the tomb was disturbed.

Nes-mut-aat-neru's coffin is composed of four parts. There is an outer coffin, made of wood, which is 80 ¼ inches in length. This is the "housing" for the mummy. It is similar to what we would think of today as a coffin, a rectangular shaped box in which the body is placed in. The lid is vaulted, and his part of the coffin has four posts that protrude from each corner which were "...meant to imitate the tomb of Osirus, god of the underworld." (MFA).

The next layer is a coffin that is "…roughly shaped like a human body." (MFA). This layer was not decorated as greatly as the inner coffin was. It is simply a head, with headdress, a band of decoration around the neck, and hieroglyphics which run down the coffin in a strip of white along the front. There is also a depiction of Osirus on the front of this outer coffin, which symbolizes the Egyptians wish to have a safe journey in to the afterlife. The headdress on this layer of the coffin is simply decorated, but stands out due to the fact that it is the only real detail that is on this layer of the coffin.

The third coffin is the one that houses the actual mummy. It is the most detailed out of the three coffins and is the most important because it is the one that holds Nes-mut-aat-neru's body. This is called the Inner Coffin and contains many depictions of the process of the afterlife, along with the god's that the Egyptians believed would help guide their journey to the afterlife safely. I have already described this part of the coffin in great deal in the beginning of this paper.

The last layer to the coffin of Nes-mut-aat-neru u=is the body wrapped in linen. The Egyptians remove all of the internal organs and begin to dehydrate the body. Each organ was stored in jars inside the tomb. The Egyptians "…removed the brains, generally through the nose, and emptied the body cavity through an incision in the left side." (Stokstad 99). The brain was not considered an important organ in the body and was thrown out during the removal of the organs. After they had removed the organs of the body they "…packed the body cavity with clean linen, provided by the family of the deceased…" (Stokstad 99). This process usually took around three months to be complete and the body ready for burial in the tomb.

In conclusion, Nes-mut-aat-neru's coffin has proven to be extraordinary, withstanding the test of time, surviving almost 2500 with out being damaged. It stands as a great testament to the funerary processes of Ancient Egypt, and the beauty that such a process could represent as a work of Art. While the coffin of Nes-mut-aat-neru is not as extravagant as that of the Kings of Egypt, such as King Tut, which are made entirely of gold. The coffin serves its purpose in society as a vessel for the body to cross in to the afterlife, and the decoration and care placed in to this process has a direct effect on whether or not the person is allowed in to the afterlife.

WORKS CITED

Ancient Egyptian Religion. http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Egypt/religion_report.html

Funerary Religion. http://www.museum.upenn.edu/new/exhibits/online_exhibits/egypt/funerary.shtml

Otey, Tommy. Ancient Egyptian Funerary Customs. http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/History/Egypt/04/otey/otey

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Prentice Hall. New York, NY. 2002.

The Art of the Afterlife. Museum of Fine Arts. http://www.mfa.org/handbook/egypt/g2.htm.