Sarcophagus of Kaiemnefret

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Sarcophagus of Kaiemnefret
Sarcophagus of the Kai-em-Nefret.jpg
material granite
Dimensions H. 104 cm; L. 222 cm; w. 80 cm;
origin Giza , Necropolis , Mastaba G II S
time Old Kingdom , 4th Dynasty , around 2500 BC Chr.
place Hildesheim , Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum , PM 3177

The sarcophagus of Kaiemnefret made of rose granite is part of the ancient Egyptian collection of the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim (inventory number PM 3177). He is in the Old Kingdom , 4th Dynasty, around 2500 BC. Dated.

The sarcophagus was found in Gizeh (G II S) on the south cemetery in the coffin chamber of the Mastaba des Kaiemnefret (also: Kai-em-Nefret or Kaemneferet) at its original location and has a length of 222 cm, a height of 104 cm and a Width of 80 cm.

layout

The outer walls of the sarcophagus with its niche-like doors resemble a palace facade . This shows the importance of the sarcophagus as the house of the deceased in the afterlife . 14 niche doors are incorporated on the long sides and five niche-like doors on the narrow sides. They surround the entire sarcophagus like a frieze . The niche-like doors consist of the actual door opening with a rolled-up mat, a lower architrave and a skylight placed above it.

The door motif can already be found on wooden coffins from the Thinite period (approx. 3000-2700 BC), it is supposed to give the deceased the opportunity to leave his coffin at any time. The lid takes on the shape of the so-called Lower Egyptian chapel and thus underlines the ideal equation of house and sarcophagus. There are bulges on the narrow sides.

In a way, the external decoration of the sarcophagus is reminiscent of the niche-structured surrounding wall of the Djoser pyramid district in Saqqara . Both the tub and the lid of the sarcophagus bear a short inscription on one side, which gives the name and title of the owner and identifies him as “the king's chamberlain”, a high-ranking member of the middle civil service.

literature

  • Hermann Junker (Ed.): Gîza - report on the excavations undertaken by the Academy of Sciences in Vienna at joint expense with Wilhelm Pelizaeus in the cemetery of the Old Kingdom near the pyramids of Gîza . Volume 10: The cemetery south of the Great Pyramid, western part. Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, Vienna / Leipzig 1951, pp. 33–36, fig. 15–16, panel X ( PDF ).
  • Anna Maria Donadoni Roveri: I sarcofagi egizi dalle origini alla fine dell'Antico Regno. Istituto di studi del vicino Oriente, Rome 1969, p. 120 ( full text as PDF file ).
  • Katja Lembke , Martin von Falck, Bettina Schmitz : Ancient Egypt in Hildesheim . Volume 1: The Old Reich. Egypt from the beginnings to high culture . von Zabern, Mainz 2009, ISBN 978-3-8053-4073-1 .

Web links