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Communication Dans Un Congrès Année : 2017

Unique workshop or lasting tradition? On some rectangular outer coffins from Akhmim

Marion Claude

Résumé

Akhmîm, capital of the IXth Upper Egyptian province, has been long known for its necropoleis where many coffins dating from the TIP to the Roman era have been unearthed at the end of the XIXth century. These coffins were mostly anthropoid and wooden but some of them were part of a set which included at least an inner anthropoid coffin and an outer chest. These outer coffins were rectangular, with corner posts and a vaulted lid. The sets are rarely complete, due to the hazards of conservation as well as to the circumstances of the excavations: most of the objects, at that time, were sold to collectors either directly on site or at the Boulaq museum’s auction room. Consequently, the objects from Akhmîm have been dispersed throughout the museums and private collections around the world and the coffin sets could only occasionally be reunited through research. These vaulted outer coffins represent less than ten examples over nearly two hundred coffins known to come from the late period necropolis of Akhmîm. Though this type of outer coffins is well attested at Thebes in the 25th dynasty (and later revivified in the Graeco-Roman period), the datation of the examples from Akhmîm is more difficult to establish. They have been often dated, on stylistic criteria, from the Late Period to the Graeco-Roman era without any precision but some other elements may help ascertaining their datation. The aim of this paper is to study the decoration and inscriptions of these coffins in the hope of getting a better idea of the time and context in which these objects were produced, as well as their role in the afterlife of the deceased. At first glance, their decoration programmes look similar: the same motives are reproduced on several of these coffins, but they are nonetheless not copies of each other. We can thus wonder whether some or all of them come from a unique workshop or if they are witnesses to a more lasting tradition. A precise study of the shape and decoration of these coffin sets may also enlighten us as to their funerary purpose. Indeed, it looks like the decoration was picked from a set pool of motives which could be arranged according to the wishes of the owner or the artist. What is particularly interesting too is that some of its traits seem to be specific to the region of Akhmîm and may prove an efficient way of ascertaining the provenience of other such coffins. Finally a look at the deceased’s titles and family may bring information concerning the social background of the owners as well as the potential family relationships between them.
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Dates et versions

hal-04372250 , version 1 (04-01-2024)

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  • HAL Id : hal-04372250 , version 1

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Marion Claude. Unique workshop or lasting tradition? On some rectangular outer coffins from Akhmim. Second Vatican Coffin Conference, Mario Cappozzo; Alessia Amenta; Fabio Morresi; Ulderico Santamaria; René van Walsem, Jun 2017, Vatican, Italy. ⟨hal-04372250⟩
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