When did the Coffin Texts emerge during ancient Egyptian history?
The Coffin Texts emerged around 2100 BCE during the First Intermediate Period. This era marked a shift from exclusive royal access to afterlife spells for ordinary Egyptians.
Questions about Coffin Texts
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who gained access to the Coffin Texts instead of only pharaohs?
Ordinary Egyptians who could afford a coffin gained access to these funerary spells. The pharaoh no longer held exclusive rights to an afterlife and people could now purchase access to protective magic previously reserved for kings.
What is the content of Coffin text 1130 regarding the sun god Ra?
Coffin text 1130 features a speech by the sun god Ra declaring that he made the four winds so every man might breathe. He states he created gods from his sweat and people from tears of his eye.
Which woman owned the oldest known copy of the Book of Two Ways?
The oldest known copy belonged to a woman named Ankh who lived during the reign of nomarch Ahanakht I. She possessed a dismantled coffin with painted panels displaying journey spells between 1919 and 1800 BCE.
How many spells comprise the collection written on Middle Kingdom coffins?
Some 1,185 spells comprise this collection written on Middle Kingdom coffins. These texts were inscribed on coffins, tomb walls, stelae, canopic chests, and mummy masks.