Current Research in Egyptology: Unveiling Ancient Egyptian Black Coffins

This article is from Ancient Egypt issue 143

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Scripting textiles, crafting divinity

In the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, there is a black coffin dating to the Late Period (c.664 to 332 BC), inscribed for a ‘scribe of the textile workshops’ Pauserhat. In ancient Egypt, writers such as Pauserhat played a vital role in documenting and managing the intricate processes of fabric production. They were skilled scribes, responsible for keeping detailed records of materials, designs, patterns, and orders within the workshop. Pauserhat would have meticulously recorded the inventory of raw materials such as linen, wool, and dyes, as well as the output of finished textiles. Additionally, the scribes documented the labour involved in various stages of textile production, from spinning yarn to weaving intricate patterns. Their records were essential for tracking the workflow, ensuring quality control, and maintaining efficient production schedules. Moreover, these writers often played a role in communication, liaising between workshop managers, artisans, and clients to ensure that orders were accurately fulfilled.

Through their meticulous record-keeping and communication skills, writers in textile workshops played a crucial part in the flourishing textile industry of ancient Egypt, contributing to the economic prosperity and cultural richness of the civilisation. Workshops within ancient Egyptian temples were vital hubs of creativity and production, serving the religious, economic, and administrative needs of these sacred institutions. Skilled artisans and craftsmen worked tirelessly within these workshops under the guidance of temple priests and overseers. Their craftsmanship extended to various mediums, including sculpture, metalwork, weaving, and pottery. These artisans meticulously crafted the ritual objects, statues, ceremonial vessels, and textiles essential for temple rituals and offerings to the gods.

The black coffin of Pauserhat who, as a ‘scribe of the textile workshops’, would have played a vital role in documenting and managing fabric production. Image: © Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Workshops within temple complexes also managed the temple’s resources, finances, and personnel, contributing to the overall organisation and functioning of the religious institution. The meticulous attention to detail and dedication to their craft ensured that the items produced within these workshops met the highest standards of quality, reflecting the divine significance of their purpose within the ancient Egyptian religious context.

Resurrecting tradition: coffin reuse

Throughout the Late Period, the practice of reusing coffins became increasingly common due to economic and social factors. As the population grew and resources became scarcer, reusing coffins offered a practical solution to the high cost of burial. Instead of commissioning new coffins for each deceased individual, older coffins were recycled and repurposed for subsequent burials. This practice was facilitated by the belief in the continuity of the soul after death, where the coffin served as a protective vessel for the deceased’s journey into the afterlife, rather than as a permanent resting place.

Coffins were often refurbished and redecorated to accommodate their new occupants, with inscriptions and decorations modified to reflect the identity and status of the deceased. While reusing coffins was primarily driven by practical considerations, there were cultural and religious implications too, emphasising the cyclical nature of life and death, and the interconnectedness of generations within Egyptian society.

Scribes recording the output of a granary, part of a tomb model belonging to Meketra. All workshops employed scribes like Pauserhat to document materials and output. Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Shadows of rebirth

During the Late Period, black coffins emerged as a prominent burial tradition, reflecting cultural and religious changes. These coffins, such as that belonging to the scribe of the textile workshops, were typically made from wood, adorned with intricate decorations, and often painted black or coated in black resin, symbolising regeneration, rebirth, and protection for the deceased in the afterlife. The black colour was associated with Osiris, the god of the afterlife, and was believed to provide a secure passage to the realm of the dead. Moreover, these coffins often featured elaborate hieroglyphic inscriptions, and scenes depicting funerary rituals, deities, and the journey of the deceased into the afterlife. The use of these black coffins reflects a blending of traditional Egyptian burial practices with influences from neighbouring cultures, such as the Nubians and Persians. Despite these influences, the fundamental belief in the afterlife and the importance of proper burial rites remained central to Egyptian funerary practices, with black coffins serving as a symbol of continuity and spiritual protection for the departed.

As coffin reuse was common during the Late Period, Pauserhat’s black coffin may have originally been created for another person. Image: © Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Mounira Raslan is the Curator and Head of Culture Activities at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. She studied the role of pine trees in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia for her MA in Egyptology from Helwan University, and is now a PhD candidate.

Marwa Abdel Razek is the Head of the Registration, Collections Management, and Documentation Department at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. She studied ba houses for her Master’s degree and female figurines for her PhD, both at Cairo University.

Further reading:
• S Bickel and A Giguet (2009) Coffins of the Late Period (664-332 BC) in the Egyptian Museum Cairo: A General Catalogue (Boston Museum of Fine Arts Press).
• W K Simpson (1996) Textiles in Ancient Egypt (Princeton University Press).

CRE 2024: Current Research in Egyptology (CRE) is an annual postgraduate conference set up to facilitate research and promote bonds between British and international universities conducting research in Egyptology. Ahead of this year’s conference at the University of Liverpool (2-6 September), AE will preview six new research papers (three in this issue, and a further three in AE 144) by postgraduates attending the conference, beginning with recent excavations in Alexandria.