Description
This volume, edited by Rogerio Sousa, is part of the scholarly ferment which has wheeled around the subject of 'coffin' during the last twenty years. Its magic and religious evaluation identifies it from time to time as body container, but at the same time substitute body for the deceased, a maternal womb in which the regeneration will occur, a microcosm, tomb, funerary temple, as well as a conduit to the dead, a powerful tool activated by means of the Opening of the Mouth ritual. -From the Foreword, by Alessia Amenta
In February 2013, the Symposium Body, Cosmos and Eternity: the Symbolism of Coffins in Ancient Egypt convened at the historical building of the University of Porto to debate conceptual frameworks underlying the contemporary study of Egyptian coffins. Rising from the close association with the depiction of the mummified body, the anthropoid coffins soon absorbed a rich mythological imaginary related to the constellation of Nut, the mother goddess of the sky supposed to give birth to Osiris, and evolved continuously, integrating larger and more complex sets of beliefs, mirroring the increasingly bolder use of coffins in the funerary rituals. It was this complex set of beliefs involving the coffin that we proposed to explore in this series of symposia. Following our original purpose, the studies presented in this volume display an excellent overview on the new trends of research on coffin studies, with diverse contributions concerned either with symbolism or social significance of coffins, museums collections or archaeological finds. These studies superbly showcase the richness of coffins as documental sources for the study of Egyptian religion, economy and society.
Reviews
'The individual contributions are well structured and clearly laid out. A particular highlight is the extensive photographic material... In summary, the present volume is an appealing and successful publication. It is highly recommended for professional scientists, but is likely to be difficult for the Egypt-interested layman.' - von Manuela Gander M.A., Berlin, http://www.antikewelt.de (translated from German)
Book Information
ISBN 9781784910020
Author Rogerio Sousa
Format Paperback
Page Count 211
Imprint Archaeopress Archaeology
Publisher Archaeopress
Weight(grams) 827g
Dimensions(mm) 297mm * 210mm * 10mm
In February 2013, the Symposium Body, Cosmos and Eternity: the Symbolism of Coffins in Ancient Egypt convened at the historical building of the University of Porto to debate conceptual frameworks underlying the contemporary study of Egyptian coffins. Rising from the close association with the depiction of the mummified body, the anthropoid coffins soon absorbed a rich mythological imaginary related to the constellation of Nut, the mother goddess of the sky supposed to give birth to Osiris, and evolved continuously, integrating larger and more complex sets of beliefs, mirroring the increasingly bolder use of coffins in the funerary rituals. It was this complex set of beliefs involving the coffin that we proposed to explore in this series of symposia. Following our original purpose, the studies presented in this volume display an excellent overview on the new trends of research on coffin studies, with diverse contributions concerned either with symbolism or social significance of coffins, museums collections or archaeological finds. These studies superbly showcase the richness of coffins as documental sources for the study of Egyptian religion, economy and society.
Reviews
'The individual contributions are well structured and clearly laid out. A particular highlight is the extensive photographic material... In summary, the present volume is an appealing and successful publication. It is highly recommended for professional scientists, but is likely to be difficult for the Egypt-interested layman.' - von Manuela Gander M.A., Berlin, http://www.antikewelt.de (translated from German)
Book Information
ISBN 9781784910020
Author Rogerio Sousa
Format Paperback
Page Count 211
Imprint Archaeopress Archaeology
Publisher Archaeopress
Weight(grams) 827g
Dimensions(mm) 297mm * 210mm * 10mm
