An Examination of the Coffin of Pedi-Osiris and the Sarcophagus of Tutankhamen

A detailed Summary of An Examination of the Coffin of Pedi-Osiris and the Sarcophagus of Tutankhamen

In contrast to the religions of Western civilization, that of the ancient Egyptians made a very clear distinction between the body and the soul, for the Egyptians believed that "from birth a person was accompanied by a kind of other self, known as the ka which upon the death of the fleshly body, could inhabit the corpse and live on" (Cooney, 56). But for the ka to live securely, the body of the deceased must remain as intact as possible, and in order to accomplish this, the ancient Egyptians developed to vary high art the technique of embalming. Their success in this technique is quite evident and is demonstrated by numerous, well-preserved mummies of pharaohs like Rameses II, princes, princesses, various nobles as well as common people, such as those that worked on the construction of tombs and the Great Pyramid of Cheops.

The first requirement for immortality was of course mummification and when this process was complete, the body, especially if that of a pharaoh or some other high-ranking official, would be placed in a tomb along with food and drink, clothing, utensils and other objects necessary for the afterlife. Often, images of the deceased "in the form of sculptures would also be placed in the tomb to serve as a form o

These inlays are individually cut to fit into the cells and the dark and light blue glass and red glass represent lapis lazuli, turquoise and red jasper or carnelian, stones which could be commonly found in ancient Egypt. The main decorative motif is a feather design called risbi which in this instance resembles chevrons. On the upper part of the coffin, "inlaid figures of the cobra and vulture deities with outstretched wings serve as religious symbols to protect the body of the king within" (Terrace, 156). On the lid of the coffin, Tutankhamen is shown with his royal accouterments, and the headdress known as nemes is most probably made of folded cloth. On his brow are the two protective deities, the cobra and vulture heads. The plaited beard with its tip turned up is closely linked to Osiris, the God of the Dead.

Actually, the body of King Tutankhamen was encased in a series of coffins. The fine outer coffin, made of gilded and inlaid wood, now lies in the sarcophagus itself in the king's tomb in the Valley of the Kings along with the body. When Carter first opened the coffin, he found three of them nesting each within another. When the lid of the outermost coffin was removed, Carter "found the middle coffin covered with a linen shroud and garlands of flowers-olives, lotus and cornflowers-- attached to strips of papyrus" (Cooney, 134). Culturally speaking, the flowers indicate how much he was beloved by his family and followers, especially the lotus, a symbol of creation and rebirth in the Egyptian religion, which shows that Tutankhamen was destined to rise again and rule his nation. This middle coffin is composed of wood and is covered with sheets of gold. The decoration of the body is done in a technique called cloisonne which involves the inlaying of pieces of colored glass and semi-precious stones in cells made by soldering thin strips of gold to the main body of the coffin.

The coffin of Pedi-Osiris stands over seven feet tall and is proportionally broad, indicating that "the mummy within had been elaborately prepared and wrapped in multiple layers of linen cloth" ("Antiquities-Coffin of Pedi-Osiris," Internet), much like the body of King Tutankhamen snugly nested in one coffin inside of another. The front of the coffin holds the image of Pedi-Osiris "with a gilded face, exotic black-lined eyes, (and) a fake beard," while the rest of the body contains "an elaborate head cloth painted rich azure blue, numerous painted necklaces and vermilion clothing covered with a net of

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Approximate Word count = 1687
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts