Unveiling ancient Egyptian treasures:anthropoid coffins discoveries at the Bubasteion in Saqqara
From 2018 until today,the Egyptian mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Egyptian/Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been working in the sacred animal cemetery of the Bubasteion in Saqqara.This site is considered the most important part of the ancient necropolis of Memphis and is included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.One noteworthy feature of the site is the Temple of the Cat Goddess Bastet,which dates to the Late Period of ancient Egypt.Over the past few seasons,this Egyptian mission has made remarkable discoveries that have captivated the world.Here is a list of some important discoveries made by the mission.-Old Kingdom tombs:including tomb of Wahty,tomb of Nyheswtba;-Cache of Animal Mummies:including cats,mongooses,crocodiles,snakes and lion cubs,(discovered for the first time)along with wooden and bronze statues representing these animals;-Mummification Workshops:discovery of two workshops dedicated to the mummification of animals and humans,featuring beds,tools,vessels and embalming materials,etc.Among all these discoveries,the most significant one is the approximately 1 000 well-preserved,well-painted Anthropoid Wooden Coffins from the Late Period,containing mummified remains and treasures.They were discovered from the shafts near the Old Kingdom tombs.These shafts are rectangular,measuring 1.20-1.40 m in length × 1 m in width and the depth ranges between 9 m and 14 m.Each shaft ends with a burial chamber with multiple niches.Inside these burial chambers about 1000 wooden anthropoid coffins have been found up to the present.Ten coffins will be displayed in the exhibition of Shanghai Museum named"On Top of the Pyramid:The Civilization of Ancient Egypt"from July 2024.This paper will be the first publication of these new discovered coffins.Among these ten coffins,seven have owners'names,two have Chapter 72 of Book of the Dead,and one has Pyramid Text:·Saqqara20780·Owner of the coffin:Nhs-hwt-bity·Father:nfr-(h)i(h)(front)/Nfr-j(h)-R(c)(back)?·Mother:Nt-ir-dj.s(or Jr-dj.s-Nt?)·BD spell 72(front)·Saqqara 20787·Owner of the coffin:Wn-nfrt·Mother:J3t-nh-rw-bs(?)·Saqqara 20784·Owner of the coffin:P(c)-(dj)-Wsjr-nm(front)/P(c)-dj-Wsjr-nh(back)?·Mother:Nt-jw.t·PT(Allen,2005,p.108)(front)·Saqqara 20782·Owner of the coffin:Rnpj-nfr·Father:(h)r-(h)3pw-(H)r-3st(?)·Mother:Mr-pj·Saqqara 20786·Owner of the coffin:š(t)y-dj(front)/š(t)y-(t)dj-k(3).n(back)?·Saqqara 20783·Owner of the coffin:p((3))y-mrt-w(d)(3)-(3)st(?)·Father(D)d-Jmn-jw.f-(c)n(h)·Mother:(3)st-m(h)·BD spell 72·Saqqara 20781·Owner of the coffin:(c)nh-hp·Father:P(3)-dj-Wsjr·Mother:P3-tw-mnThe most significant feature of the study of these newly discovered Saqqara coffins is its relationship to typology and chronology.Before this discovery,the majority of Late Period coffins produced in Northern Egypt were long neglected in studies of ancient Egyptian coffins,since many of them lack archaeological context and proper documentation and are distributed in different collections.The present coffin typology and chronology are mainly based on Theban specimens.It is far from certain if they can be applied to the whole of Egypt.Instead of following the pattern-books built by Taylor and other scholars,it is more important to identify the texts,shape,iconography,layout and color scheme of these coffins based on the local background especially the Late Period archaism movement,when Saqqara became the sacred centre of the whole country.
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