Box coffin of Idu II

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Box coffin of Idu II
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material cedar
Dimensions H. 70.2 cm; L. 224.5 cm; w. 66.7 cm;
origin Giza , necropolis
time Old Kingdom , 6th Dynasty , after 2200 BC Chr.
place Hildesheim , Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum , PM 2511

The box coffin of Idu II from the Old Kingdom (late 6th dynasty , after 2220 BC) belongs to the Egyptian collection of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim . Due to its design and its very good state of preservation, it is an example of the seldom found simple box coffins of the Old Kingdom.

Site and history

The box coffin of the Idu was found in 1914 during the excavation by Hermann Junker in the eastern section of the west cemetery in the necropolis of Giza . It was located in an extension of the grave of Nefer Idu (extension to G 5550). The grave extension included the shaft (shaft no. 790) with the coffin chamber and an underground statue chamber. In the coffin chamber stood the box coffin made of wood, which, in addition to the deceased himself, also contained additions. Wood has always been in short supply in Egypt. The sought-after cedar wood was imported from the Lebanon Mountains .

As the “head of the cedar house”, Idu had the best opportunities to procure the cedar wood for his coffin. Idu also had the title "Chamberlain of the King" and "Personal Record Clerk of the King". The burial of the Idu is of great importance because it was one of the few from the Old Kingdom that was not plundered and it stands at the transition from the burial rites of the Old Kingdom to those of the Middle Kingdom . In the annex to the grave of Nefer Idu there was a headrest (inv. No. 2519), six official staffs (inv. No. 2512-2518), twelve pearls of a necklace, conch shells for eye make-up and two large balls of linen cloth as equipment for the deceased.

presentation

The coffin is 70.2 cm high, 66.7 cm wide and has a length of 224.5 cm. It is composed of very carefully cut planks of cedar wood. The planks were mitred and mortised with dowels. Some of the wooden dowels are still there, some of them have been replaced by small wooden nails to secure the coffin. The small indentations between two dowels are reminiscent of an older method of assembly, tying with leather strips. Misalignments and knotholes were carefully balanced. That shows how valuable the material was. On all four sides, just below the upper edge, there is a slightly incised line of inscriptions, which is painted in light paint. Another line of inscriptions is on the lid. They contain prayers to the gods of the dead and always end with the title and name of the Idu. On the long side facing east there is a double udjat eye , which meant magical protection for the dead and at the same time was an eye substitute for him. The dead man, lying on his side, could look through the pair of eyes towards the rising sun. Inside there was a pompous door at this point , so that the deceased could leave the coffin or even look out at any time. The walls of the inner coffin are also painted with a large list of victims and a list of the seven most important oils that benefit the dead. In the Old Kingdom a fear of animal and human hieroglyphs developed, which - written down and thus brought to life - could harm the dead. This is why these signs were sometimes mutilated, like the horned viper in Idu and the determinative of his name in order to take away their power again.

literature

  • Hermann Junker (Ed.): Gîza VIII. The eastern section of the west cemetery. Part two . Report on the work carried out by the Academy of Sciences in Vienna at joint expense with Dr. Wilhelm Pelizaeus † undertook excavations in the cemetery of the Old Kingdom near the pyramids of Gîza (=  Academy of Sciences in Vienna. Philosophical-historical class. Memoranda . Volume 73.1 ). Rohrer, Vienna 1947, p. 96-106 ( gizapyramids.org [PDF; 79.9 MB ] Figs. 40–46 and panel XVIII).
  • Anna Maria Donadoni Roveri: I sarcofagi egizi dalle origini alla fine dell 'Antico Regno . Ed .: S. Moscati (=  Università Di Roma - Instituto di studi del vicino oriente. Archeologica series . Volume 16 ). Bardi, Rome 1969, p. 157–158 ( gizapyramids.org [PDF] panel XXXVIII – XXXIX).
  • Hans Kayser : The Egyptian antiquities in the Roemer-Pelizaeus-Museum in Hildesheim. Gerstenberg, Hildesheim 1973, ISBN 3-8067-8002-1 , pp. 36–37 (box-shaped coffin of the “royal scribe Idu” II) and Fig. 4 (coffin of Idu).
  • Bertha Porter , Rosalind LB Moss : Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs, and Paintings. III. Memphis. Part I. (Abû Rawâsh to Abûṣîr) . 2nd edition, revised and expanded by Jaromír Málek . The Clarendon Press, Oxford 1974, pp. 166 ( gizapyramids.org [PDF; 31.0 MB ]).
  • Eva Eggebrecht: Even back then: fashion issues . In: Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim (=  museum ). Westermann, December 1979, ISSN  0341-8634 , p. 70–71 with ill .
  • Arne Eggebrecht (ed.): The old empire. Egypt in the age of the pyramids. von Zabern, Mainz 1986, ISBN 3-8053-0936-8 , pp. 98-99.
  • Bettina Schmitz (Ed.): Investigations on Idu II . Giza: an interdisciplinary project (=  Hildesheim Egyptological contributions . Volume 38 ). Gerstenberg, 1996, ISBN 3-8067-8135-4 , ISSN  2365-1822 .
  • Bettina Schmitz: "... digging the pyramids, hopefully with success!" Giza, the Old Kingdom in Hildesheim . In: Katja Lembke (Hrsg.): Das Alte Reich. Egypt from the beginnings to high culture (=  Ancient Egypt in Hildesheim ). tape 1 . von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4073-1 , p. 17 (catalog for the permanent exhibition).
  • Martin von Falck: From the beginning to high culture. The way of Egypt in the 4th and 3rd millennium BC Chr. In: Katja Lembke (Hrsg.): Das Alte Reich. Egypt from the beginnings to high culture . S. 44 .
  • Martin von Falck: box coffin of Idu II . In: Katja Lembke (Hrsg.): Das Alte Reich. Egypt from the beginnings to high culture . S. 124-125 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim: Inventory number PM 2511