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The Egyptian coffins project

Decoding the text and decoration of the coffins of Nespawershefyt

less than 1 minute to read

Common to Nespawershefyt’s mummy board and inner and outer coffins is the dense arrangement of rich decoration and text, which shows Nespawershefyt worshipping various gods and scenes from the magical spells of the Book of the Dead. Among these is a scene of the deceased being judged before Osiris, including the weighing of his heart.

This appears on the proper right side of the box of the inner coffin. On the opposite side to this is a striking scene of the earth separated from the sky; the sky goddess Nut appears naked, arched over the god Shu, who represents the air, and a reclining figure of Geb, the god of the earth, painted green. Another version of this scene, but without Geb and with Heka, the god of magic, supporting the figure of Nut, appears on the back of the mummy board.

Here, the background colour is reddish-brown. Other scenes show the sun’s progress through the dark hours of the night. The interior of the inner coffin box is dominated by a large figure of the goddess of the West and on the head end by an image of Nespawershefyt’s ba spirit flying up out of the coffin.

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