Ancient Egyptian Coffins

This collection of papers by leading international experts on the subject of ancient Egyptian coffins, builds on a project based at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, to study and record in detail its collection. Papers address a series of topics including: the development of coffins in antiquity, including iconographic and text-based studies, providing new insights into ancient Egyptian belief systems at different periods and regional differences in coffin presentation; the post-antiquity history of coffins, including their acquisition and subsequent treatment in museums around the world; developments in technical examination and methods of studying coffins, especially the use of multispectral imaging to provide non-invasive analysis of materials, and what this tells us about construction and decorative techniques at different periods and in response to the availability of different materials and increasing evidence of the re-use of materials and complete re-working of coffins for new owners, leading us to question fundamental attitudes to the purpose of coffins as a containers of human remains and the practices of craftsmen in the funerary industry. The papers stem from a conference held at the Museum to accompany a major new exhibition.

[T]hese studies superbly show how productive the concurrence of technical and art historical approaches in this emerging field of research has been […] it is fair to recognize the work carried out by the Editors in assuring a remarkable unity to the volume, despite the heterogeneity of the studies.

Helen Strudwick is Egypt 2016 Curator at the Fitzwilliam Museum. She originally studied archaeology of the eastern Mediterranean at Liverpool, but rapidly specialised in Egyptology. Her research focuses on Ancient Egyptian coffins and funerary archaeology, tombs and funerary practice at Thebes (ancient Luxor), sightlines in ancient landscapes and the metaphysics of seeing and the history of Egyptology. Julie Dawson is Head of Conservation at the Fitzwilliam Museum and has particular interests in the history of conservation and the technology and the deterioration and treatment of wooden Egyptian coffins.