The Sarcophagus of Hunefer and other New Kingdom Private Sarcophagi

Wolfram Grajetzki, Christiane Müller-Hazenbos

• Publisher: Nicanor Books
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781838118051
• Topic: Sciences sociales
• Subtopic: Archéologie

This is the publication of the sarcophagus of the mayor of Thebes, Hunefer, in office under Ramses II. To date, the granite sarcophagus in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge has received little research attention despite being a large scale monument. The book provides a presentation of the sarcophagus and its place in space and time.

III. Corpus of New Kingdom non-royal sarcophagi

This is the corpus of New Kingdom private sarcophagi and functions as main reference for chapters I and II. The list does not aim to be complete, but should provide a reasonable selection of New Kingdom sarcophagi. Only basic data are provided. For more information the reader might turn to the cited literature.

The corpus of New Kingdom sarcophagi is divided into several groups.

I. Rectangular sarcophagi

II. The deceased shown in the festive dress

III. Anthropoid sarcophagi without inscriptions

IV. Anthropoid sarcophagi with three vertical inscriptions on lid, no vignettes on lid

V. Anthropoid sarcophagi with three vertical inscriptions and vignettes on lid

VI. Anthropoid sarcophagi with five independent vertical inscriptions, no vignettes on lid

VII. Anthropoid sarcophagi with five text lines, two in the middle, no vignettes on lid

VIII. Anthropoid sarcophagi with with five text columns and vignettes on lid

IX. Anthropoid sarcophagi with three vertical inscriptions and doubled middle column, vignettes on lid

X. Anthropoid sarcophagi with one vertical inscription on the lid

XI. Sarcophagi of which only the box is preserved (or published)

XII. Sarcophagi of unknown type (too fragmentary or inadequately published information)

Types III to IX are basically a typology from simple to more complex lid designs. This classification does not reflect a chronological order. Sarcophagi under Ramses II represent the bulk of the corpus and the designs are very eclectic. Hardly two examples have a similar design. However, type IV is indeed already attested under Amenhotep III but was still manufactured under Ramses II and was common. Type V shows the same design, and appears for the first at the very end of the 18th Dynasty, but is again well attested in the following decades.

Titles: Only titles of the sarcophagus owner on the actual sarcophagus are listed. In a few cases, when the sarcophagus is not otherwise published, the titles are also given in hieroglyphs.

Material: In most cases the entry follows the description in the primary publication. No attempt has been made to synchronise different terminologies used in different publications.

Hands: Most hands on New Kingdom anthropoid sarcophagi hold symbols: in the left a tiyet-sign, in the right a djed-symbol. This rule applies in general to the sarcophagi of men, whereas women hold other symbols or their hands are empty.

Vignettes: In the catalogue, these are the figures placed between the text lines on the lid.

Lid: Here the decoration of the lid is discussed. Vertical inscriptions on the coffin lid are those running from head to foot.

Date: If not otherwise stated, the sarcophagi are dated into the 19th Dynasty, There are not many examples that can be dated with certainty to a later point in ...