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Coffin Texts
Coffin Texts
Coffin Texts
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Middle Kingdom coffin with the Coffin Texts painted on its panels

The Coffin Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins beginning in the First Intermediate Period. They are partially derived from the earlier Pyramid Texts, reserved for royal use only, but contain substantial new material related to everyday desires, indicating a new target audience of common people. Coffin texts are dated back to 2100 BCE.[1] Ordinary Egyptians who could afford a coffin had access to these funerary spells and the pharaoh no longer had exclusive rights to an afterlife.[2][3]

As the modern name of this collection of some 1,185 spells implies, they were mostly inscribed on Middle Kingdom coffins. They were also sometimes written on tomb walls, stelae, canopic chests, papyri and mummy masks. Due to the limited writing surfaces of some of these objects, the spells were often abbreviated, giving rise to long and short versions, some of which were later copied in the Book of the Dead.[3]

Content

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In contrast to the Pyramid Texts which focus on the celestial realm, the coffin texts emphasize the subterranean elements of the afterlife ruled by the deity Osiris, in a place called the Duat. An Osirian afterlife is offered to everyone, and the deceased is even referred to as "the Osiris-[name]." This subterranean realm is described as being filled with threatening beings, traps, and snares with which the deceased must contend. The spells in the Coffin Texts allow the deceased to protect themselves against these dangers and "dying a second death".

A new theme recorded in the coffin texts is the notion that all people will be judged by Osiris and his council according to their deeds in life. The texts allude to the use of a balance, which became the pivotal moment of judgment in the later Book of the Dead. The texts address common fears of the living, such as having to do manual labor, with spells to allow the deceased to avoid these unpleasant tasks.

They combine ritual actions intended as protection, expressions of aspiration for a blessed existence after death and of the transformations and transmigrations of the ba and akh and so on. In addition there are descriptions of the land of the dead, its landscape and inhabitants. These include the Sekhet Hotep (Field of offerings or peace), the paths of Rostau and the abode of Osiris.

Examples

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Dismantled coffin of Khety c. 1919–1800 BCE with Coffin Text spells painted on the inside panels

Coffin text 1130 is a speech by the sun god Ra, who says:

Hail in peace! I repeat to you the good deeds which my own heart did for me from within the serpent-coil, in order to silence strife ...
I made the four winds, that every man might breathe in his time ...
I made the great inundation, that the humble might benefit by it like the great ...
I made every man like his fellow; and I did not command that they do wrong. It is their hearts which disobey what I have said ...
I have created the gods from my sweat, and the people from the tears of my eye.

Dismantled coffin of Khety c. 1919–1800 BCE with Coffin Text spells painted on the inside panels

Coffin text 1031 is spoken by the deceased, who replies:

I shall sail rightly in my bark, I am lord of eternity in the crossing of the sky.
I am not afraid in my limbs, for Hu and Hike overthrow for me that evil being.
I shall see light-land, I shall dwell in it ...
Make way for me, that I may see Nun and Amun! For I am that Akh who passes by the guards ...
I am equipped and effective in opening his portal!
As for any person who knows this spell, he will be like Re in the eastern sky, like Osiris in the netherworld. He will go down to the circle of fire, without the flame touching him ever!

The Book of Two Ways

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"The Book of Two Ways" redirects here. For the 2020 novel by Jodi Picoult, see The Book of Two Ways (novel).

A few coffins from the Middle Egyptian necropolis of el-Bersheh (Deir El Bersha) contain unique graphical representations of the realm of the afterlife, along with spells related to the journey of the deceased through the Duat. This collection, called the Book of Two Ways, was the first example of an Ancient Egyptian map of the underworld. The Book of Two Ways is a precursor to the New Kingdom books of the underworld as well as the Book of the Dead, in which descriptions of the routes through the afterlife are a persistent theme. The two ways depicted are the land and water routes, separated by a lake of fire, that lead to Rostau and the abode of Osiris.[3] The oldest copy currently known belonged to a woman named Ankh who lived during the reign of the nomarch Ahanakht I.[4]

See also

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References

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Bibliography

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Coffin Texts

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The Coffin Texts are a corpus of ancient Egyptian funerary spells and incantations, inscribed primarily on the interiors of wooden coffins, dating to the First Intermediate Period and Middle Kingdom (c. 2181–1650 BCE). These texts, numbering over 1,100 spells in total, were intended to protect the deceased, facilitate their transformation into an effective spirit (akh), and ensure their safe navigation and prosperity in the , often linking them to the god . Unlike the earlier restricted to royal burials, the Coffin Texts democratized access to such magical protections for non-royal elites, reflecting broader social and religious shifts in ancient Egyptian society. Comprising a diverse array of content, the Coffin Texts include declarations of innocence, transformation spells allowing the deceased to assume various forms (such as birds or gods), maps of the like the Book of Two Ways, and rituals for provisioning the dead. They evolved directly from the of (c. 2686–2181 BCE), with around 400 spells reused or adapted verbatim, and served as a foundational precursor to the New Kingdom's Book of the Dead, forming a continuous tradition in Egyptian mortuary literature. While traditionally classified as exclusively funerary, scholarly analysis reveals that a small portion (about 3.71%, or 44 spells) may derive from non-funerary contexts, such as potency magic or life-prolongation rituals, adapted for burial use, highlighting the fluid nature of Egyptian religious texts without a rigid "funerary" genre. The texts were selectively inscribed on coffins from elite cemeteries in , such as Deir el-Bersha and , with variations reflecting regional traditions and individual choices rather than a standardized canon. First systematically studied and published in the mid-20th century by Adriaan de Buck in a seven-volume edition (1935–1961), they remain a vital source for understanding Middle Kingdom religious beliefs, cosmology, and language, bridging the gap between earlier pyramid inscriptions and later papyrus scrolls. Their significance extends to and , as they preserve archaic forms and idioms not found elsewhere in .

Overview and Purpose

Definition and Historical Placement

The Coffin Texts constitute a corpus of approximately 1,185 funerary spells, compiled and inscribed primarily on the interiors of coffins belonging to non-royal elites during the Middle Kingdom of . These texts served as a form of democratized funerary magic, extending protective incantations and navigational aids for the —previously limited to pharaohs in the —to a wider segment of society capable of affording such elaborate burials. Unlike their royal predecessors, the Coffin Texts reflect a broader accessibility to afterlife rituals, marking a significant evolution in Egyptian religious practices. Chronologically, the Coffin Texts emerged around 2050 BCE toward the end of the 11th Dynasty, as Egypt transitioned into the unified Middle Kingdom under rulers like . They achieved their greatest prevalence and elaboration during the 12th Dynasty (c. 1991–1802 BCE), when inscription practices became widespread among provincial officials and priests. By the late Middle Kingdom and during the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1802–1550 BCE), their use began to wane, eventually giving way to the more portable and standardized on papyrus in the New Kingdom. This period aligns with the First Intermediate Period's end and the Middle Kingdom's core (ca. 2100–1650 BCE overall). Key characteristics of the Coffin Texts include their composition in hieratic script, a form of hieroglyphs suited to rapid inscription, arranged predominantly in vertical columns to maximize space on coffin panels. Spells were typically painted or incised inside the s, with selections varying by geographic region; for instance, Theban examples from often feature more extensive and artistically integrated versions, while Herakleopolitan specimens from tend toward simpler, more abbreviated forms reflective of local traditions.

Funerary Role and Inscriptions

The Coffin Texts served as a vital component of Middle Kingdom funerary practices (ca. 2055–1650 BCE), functioning primarily to provide magical protection and transformation for the deceased's soul components, the ba (mobile spirit) and ka (vital essence), while guiding them through the perils of the to achieve justification and eternal existence as an akh (effective spirit). These spells empowered the ba to navigate cosmic realms and return with sustenance, stabilizing the ka within the tomb and warding off threats like serpents or hostile entities, thereby ensuring the deceased's participation in divine cycles and feasts. Transformation incantations allowed the deceased to assume protective forms, such as birds or gods, facilitating rebirth and integration into the solar journey. Inscription practices centered on the interiors of wooden coffins, where spells were painted in script or , arranged in vertical columns or horizontal bands on lids, sides, and bottoms to envelop the mummy completely. Occasionally, texts appeared on tomb walls, sarcophagi exteriors, or related like bandages, adapting older Pyramid Text motifs for non-royal use. Regional variations emerged, particularly in Theban and Memphite workshops, with Theban examples often featuring distinct spell selections and layouts, such as those on coffins from Deir el-Bersha, reflecting local scribal traditions and over 1,000 identified spells across variants. Within the ritual context, the Coffin Texts were integral to ceremonies like the Opening of the Mouth, performed by sem-priests and lectors to animate the mummy, revive sensory functions, and invoke the spells' efficacy for the ba and ka's union. This democratization marked a shift from royal exclusivity, extending these personalized amulets to the elite and emerging middle class, including nomarchs and officials, who commissioned coffins as affordable yet potent afterlife safeguards.

Historical Development

Origins in the Old Kingdom

The Coffin Texts trace their origins to the , the earliest known corpus of ancient Egyptian funerary literature inscribed exclusively in the pyramids of kings during the 5th and 6th Dynasties (c. 2400–2250 BCE). These royal spells, designed to ensure the pharaoh's ascent to the and union with the gods, provided the foundational framework for later non-royal adaptations. A significant proportion of Coffin Text spells—approximately 400 (out of over 1,100 total)—consist of direct borrowings or close modifications from the , repurposed to grant similar divine protections and transformations to elite individuals beyond the royal family. This shift marked the initial extension of pharaonic magic to provincial officials and nobles, reflecting an evolving religious landscape. The transitional phase for these adaptations occurred during the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BCE), a time of political fragmentation following the Old Kingdom's decline. Earliest attestations of non-royal funerary spells derived from the appear in this era, inscribed on tomb walls and false doors in provincial cemeteries, such as those at Naga ed-Dêr and Gebelein. According to Egyptologist Harco Willems, the oldest examples date to the late reign of Pepy II (late 6th Dynasty) and proliferated in the late First Intermediate Period, predating the full Coffin Text corpus on coffins. These inscriptions adapted royal motifs—like offerings from the gods and safe passage through the —for commoners' tombs, signaling a broadening of funerary practices amid regional autonomy. Socio-political upheaval, including the collapse of centralized authority around 2181 BCE, facilitated this expansion by empowering provincial elites who could no longer rely on royal patronage for eternal security. With the weakening of the pharaonic state, local rulers in nomarchies such as Thebes and Heracleopolis adopted elements of royal funerary ideology, inscribing adapted spells to claim similar divine favor. This process is often termed the "democratization" of beliefs, as it allowed non-royal deceased access to protective magic previously reserved for kings, though limited to those with sufficient resources; however, this interpretation has been debated, with some scholars arguing it primarily benefited elites rather than the broader population.

Evolution During the Middle Kingdom

The Coffin Texts experienced their most significant maturation during the Middle Kingdom, particularly in the 12th Dynasty, where they expanded beyond their foundational roots in Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts to encompass a broader selection of spells, with individual coffin sets often incorporating nearly 200 incantations tailored to the deceased's needs. This peak phase, evident from the late 11th Dynasty through the reigns of Sesostris II and III (c. 1897–1842 BCE), featured heightened elaboration, including the integration of painted vignettes—illustrative scenes depicting deities, journeys, or protective motifs—that enhanced the texts' visual and symbolic impact on coffin interiors and exteriors. Such developments reflected a growing emphasis on and for provincial elites, as seen in elaborate burials at sites like El-Bersha and . Distinct regional recensions further characterized this evolution, with notable differences between Upper Egyptian (Theban) and Lower Egyptian (Herakleopolitan) traditions. Theban versions, centered in the south, prominently incorporated solar theology linked to the god Re, aligning with Theban political dominance and Heliopolitan influences during the 11th and early 12th Dynasties. In contrast, Herakleopolitan recensions from the north, associated with the 9th–10th Dynasties but persisting into the Middle Kingdom, stressed Osirian elements, drawing on local cults such as Naref and emphasizing themes of resurrection and underworld navigation suited to the region's mythological landscape. These variations highlight how local priesthoods and elites adapted the corpus to regional theological priorities, fostering a decentralized yet interconnected funerary tradition. The tradition's decline set in during the late 12th and 13th Dynasties (c. 1802–1650 BCE), as centralized authority waned and the onset of Second Intermediate Period instability disrupted provincial burial practices. While innovation continued after the reign of , new spell creation gradually declined, with regional sites like El-Bersha ceasing coffin production altogether. This shift coincided with the rise of the , precursors of which began appearing on coffins in the late Middle Kingdom (13th Dynasty), with the full text on independent papyri emerging in the early New Kingdom (18th Dynasty) and offering a more compact, standardized alternative that supplanted the labor-intensive coffin inscriptions amid socioeconomic upheaval.

Discovery and Scholarship

Early 19th-Century Finds

The first major European discoveries of Coffin Texts occurred during the Prussian expedition to led by Karl Richard Lepsius from 1842 to 1845, which focused on documenting and collecting artifacts from Old and Middle Kingdom sites, including tombs at . This expedition revealed several inscribed coffins bearing funerary spells from the Middle Kingdom, such as those associated with officials like Djehutyhotep, whose tomb decorations and associated artifacts highlighted the transition from to more accessible funerary inscriptions. Lepsius's team excavated and recorded numerous Middle Kingdom burials, bringing fragments and complete pieces to European collections for the first time. Deir el-Bersha, located in the Assiut region, emerged as a key site yielding the most complete examples of Coffin Texts-inscribed coffins, particularly from the 12th Dynasty. Notable among these is the elaborate coffin set of Djehuty-nakht, providing extensive examples of the texts painted on its interior surfaces. These finds, dating to the Middle Kingdom (c. 2050–1710 BCE), were uncovered in elite tombs and demonstrated the democratization of funerary magic beyond pharaonic contexts. Early scholars faced significant challenges with these discoveries, as fragmentary inscriptions were often overlooked or misidentified as precursors to the later , delaying recognition of their distinct corpus. Many pieces were transported to major institutions, including the in and the in , where they formed the basis of initial collections of Middle Kingdom funerary material in the mid-19th century. These acquisitions facilitated the first comparative studies of Egyptian mortuary practices, though full transcription and awaited 20th-century scholarship.

Key Publications and Translations

The foundational scholarly edition of the Coffin Texts was produced by Adriaan de Buck in a seven-volume series titled The Egyptian Coffin Texts, published by the Oriental Institute of the between 1935 and 1961 (OIP 34, 49, 64, 67, 73, 81, 87). This comprehensive work transcribed and collated 1,185 spells from numerous coffin sets, primarily from Middle Kingdom sites, establishing a standard numbering system (CT 1–1185) that remains the basis for referencing the texts today. De Buck's edition focused on hieroglyphic transcriptions, prioritizing Theban exemplars while noting variants, and it drew from early 19th-century archaeological recoveries as material. Notable English translations followed, with Raymond O. Faulkner's The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts (three volumes, : Aris & Phillips, 1973–1978) providing accessible renderings of de Buck's corpus alongside commentary on linguistic and thematic elements. Erik Hornung's The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1999) offered thematic analyses of the Coffin Texts within the broader context of Egyptian mortuary literature, emphasizing their evolution from and influence on the . Digital initiatives have advanced accessibility in the 2010s and beyond, including the MORTEXVAR project, which digitizes and enables searches across 1,185 Coffin Text spells in a , facilitating analysis of variants and interconnections. Complementary efforts, such as the Text Mining the Coffin Texts (TM-CT) project, link this database to high-resolution images of de Buck's publications, providing open-access tools for and variant comparison. Additional digitization at institutions like has processed photographs of Coffin Text-bearing coffins, supporting ongoing scholarly collation. Current research highlights gaps in the coverage of provincial variants, where unique spells—comprising about one-third of the corpus—remain underexplored compared to Theban examples, limiting understanding of regional adaptations. Recent studies employ computed (CT) scanning to non-invasively reveal hidden inscriptions on , uncovering obscured Coffin Text details without physical intervention, as demonstrated in analyses of Middle Kingdom artifacts. Projects like the Fitzwilliam Museum's Ancient Egyptian initiative integrate such imaging with textual scholarship to address these deficiencies.

Content and Themes

Structure of Spells

The spells of the Coffin Texts follow a standardized format that begins with an introductory title, typically phrased as "Spell for..." (rꜣ n...), specifying the intended purpose, such as providing protection or enabling transformation for the deceased. This title is followed by the main body of declarative text, which invokes divine aid or describes the desired outcome in poetic or . Many spells conclude with rubrics—instructional notes or statements—often set apart by red ink or special formatting to indicate recitation guidelines or magical potency. Vignettes, illustrative depictions accompanying the text, appear occasionally but are not as prevalent as in later funerary corpora like the . The arrangement of spells on the coffins exhibits a non-linear organization, primarily dictated by the physical zones of the coffin itself rather than a sequential . Spells are inscribed according to body parts or functional areas, with protective formulae placed near the head for safeguarding , along the sides for limb mobility, and at the feet for the journey to the ; this zonal placement reflects a holistic protective for the deceased's ba (soul) and body. Adriaan de Buck's seminal edition, published in seven volumes between 1935 and 1961, introduces a modern numbering system (Spells 1–1185) that groups texts thematically and by smallest divisible units marked by division signs, but deliberately preserves the original hieroglyphic orientations in parallel columns without imposing the coffins' spatial sequence. This approach highlights the corpus's variability, as no universal order exists across artifacts. Variations in spell structure are pronounced, with lengths ranging from concise formulae of 10–20 words to extended narratives exceeding 200 words, allowing customization to the coffin's surface and the deceased's needs. Absent a canonical sequence, individual coffins feature unique "recensions"—selections and layouts tailored to the owner—resulting in overlapping yet distinct compilations that underscore the texts' adaptability. Regional differences in Middle Kingdom scribal traditions further influenced these arrangements, with northern and southern workshops favoring distinct emphases in zonal distributions.

Major Thematic Categories

The Coffin Texts encompass a diverse array of funerary spells that address the deceased's transition and survival in the , broadly categorized into motifs of protection, transformation and journey, and justification, and provision. These themes reflect the ' concerns with maintaining integrity, achieving divine status, navigating cosmic realms, and securing eternal sustenance, drawing on both Osirian and solar cosmologies. Inscribed on the interiors of Middle Kingdom coffins, the spells adapt earlier traditions to democratize access to the for non-royals. Protection spells form a substantial portion of the corpus, focusing on safeguarding the deceased's physical and spiritual components against perils in the , the underworld realm of . These incantations target threats such as serpents, decay, dismemberment, and hostile entities like the serpent Apep or Netherworld guardians, ensuring the preservation of the body, ba (soul), shadow, and akh (transfigured spirit). Motifs include divine intervention from deities like , , , and Hapy, who shield the deceased from enemies and traps, as seen in declarations like "His enemies do not have power over him" or protections against "dying from snakes." Such spells emphasize the maintenance of wholeness and prevent a "" by restraining adversaries and affirming the deceased's invulnerability. Transformation and journey spells enable the deceased to assume various forms and traverse the afterlife's hazardous paths, facilitating mobility and integration into divine realms. Central to this category are xprw-spells, which allow becoming an akh or manifesting as birds (e.g., or geese for aerial passage), , or other entities to navigate the river and cosmic boundaries. The ba acts as a key agent in this process, materializing changes and enabling movement across the sky, earth, and , with rubrics often stating purposes like "Becoming a " or "I am the manifestation of any ." These motifs underscore empowerment for eternal cycles, blending solar journeys with Osirian to achieve glorified existence. Judgment and justification spells revolve around Osirian themes of moral vindication and rebirth, invoking the weighing of the heart and denial of sins to secure union with Osiris. The deceased proclaims innocence in divine tribunals, often before Thoth or the Ennead, to avoid condemnation and gain justification, as in affirmations of impartial judgment or access through knowledge of gates and ferrymen. Solar elements complement this by calling upon Ra for renewal and authority, ensuring the ba's favorable fate through offerings and divine favor. These spells highlight ethical accountability and ritual purity as prerequisites for afterlife acceptance, linking personal integrity to cosmic order. Provision spells address practical necessities for eternal life, guaranteeing access to food, water, air, and rest amid the Duat's scarcities. Incantations secure offerings, meals with the ka (vital essence), and sustenance from deities like Hathor or Sobek, with motifs of eating bread beside Osiris or drawing from fields of provisions. The shadow provides shade and repose, while the ba facilitates procreation and vitality on earth, reflecting anxieties over decay and hunger in the tomb. These texts portray the afterlife as a sustained existence, where ritual and divine benevolence ensure abundance and wellbeing for the limbs and spirit.

Specific Examples

Representative Spells

One representative spell in the Coffin Texts corpus is Spell 573, an adaptation of the famous "Cannibal Hymn" from the , where the deceased assumes divine power by metaphorically devouring the gods and their magic to empower themselves in the . The spell begins with cosmic disturbance—"The sky is overcast, the stars are darkened, the expanses of the sky quiver, the bones of the earth-gods tremble"—portraying the deceased's ascent as Re, the sun god, equipped with uraei and serpents, consuming the hearts and magic of chaos-gods, magicians, and foes to surpass all powers. This ritualistic empowerment emphasizes the deceased's transformation into a supreme being, absorbing the essence of the divine for eternal strength and autonomy in the underworld, reflecting Middle Kingdom democratization of royal Pyramid Text motifs. Spell 335 focuses on the deceased's transformation into a , enabling solar ascent and mobility of the ba-soul, deeply tied to Heliopolitan where the symbolizes and Re's divine kingship. The translation invokes repeated identifications: "I have come to you, O Re, this N is your ... this N is your ba who is in the sky... this N is your who is in the sky," culminating in attributes of , imperishability, and indestructibility to ensure the deceased's free movement and union with the sun god. This spell underscores the ba's role as a mobile aspect of the soul, allowing the deceased to traverse the without hindrance, drawing on myths for rebirth and divine integration. Spell 472, known as the shabti spell, activates small funerary figurines called shabtis to perform manual labor on behalf of the deceased in the , freeing them from toil and ensuring provision. The spell commands: "O this shabti, if [one] is accounted to do any work in the god's domain... it shall be done for [one]. 'I am here,' [one] shall say, when [one] is questioned, at any time of making a reckoning." This illustrates broader themes of magical delegation and eternal rest, empowering the deceased to enjoy the 's abundances without physical burden. Spell 777 addresses the provision of offerings for eternal sustenance, linking to self-reliant nourishment in the without reliance on living priests, through Isis's intervention to vitalize the deceased. The text reads: "O N, Isis has come so that she may cause air to go forth, for she wants it to enter into the holes which are in your head, so that you may live and speak to her, O N. There are brought to her these two fcrm-birds of yours on the day when you have joined them together for meat(?)," symbolizing breath as life-sustaining offering and birds as perpetual sources. This spell ensures ongoing magical supply, reflecting anxieties over post-burial care and the deceased's independence in the .

The Book of Two Ways

The Book of Two Ways represents the earliest known illustrated guide to the ancient Egyptian afterlife, dating to circa 1800 BCE during the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. It appears on the interiors of elite coffins from the in , including those belonging to the nomarch and associated high officials such as his physician Gua. This funerary composition features a pioneering "map" of the , illustrated as a serpentine diagram outlining two parallel paths for the deceased's soul: an upper fiery route symbolizing the solar journey through flames and gates, and a lower watery route evoking the Nile-like passage amid aquatic obstacles. Comprising over 10 spells integrated with vivid drawings, the Book of Two Ways depicts a series of guarded portals, menacing demons, and protective deities that the deceased must confront or appease to progress. These elements blend Osirian motifs of and judgment with solar themes of daily renewal, guiding the ba (soul) through the (underworld) toward the ultimate destination of the Field of Reeds, an idyllic domain of abundance and eternal sustenance. The textual spells invoke transformation formulas and declarations of power, while the accompanying vignettes—such as boat scenes on the watery path and fire-wreathed figures on the land path—provide practical, visual instructions for , emphasizing the deceased's identification with divine entities like and . As a specialized subset within the Coffin Texts corpus, the Book of Two Ways is attested on at least 18 coffins from Deir el-Bersha, dating to the late Eleventh and early Dynasties, highlighting its regional specificity. These instances mark it as a precursor to the New Kingdom , innovating through the introduction of cartographic visuals that enhanced the accessibility and efficacy of protections for provincial elites, distinct from the predominantly textual spells elsewhere in the tradition. This illustrated approach underscores a shift toward more democratized and personalized funerary during the Middle Kingdom.

Significance and Legacy

Influence on Later Texts

The Coffin Texts exerted a profound direct influence on the subsequent Book of the Dead, with numerous spells in the later corpus derived or adapted from their Middle Kingdom predecessors. For instance, Book of the Dead spell 17, one of the longest and most significant opening incantations, originates from Coffin Texts spell 335, often expanded in New Kingdom versions with additional annotations and glosses to emphasize the deceased's emergence into the afterlife. Other key derivations include Book of the Dead spell 6 from Coffin Texts spell 472. Many spells in the Book of the Dead originated in the Coffin Texts, reflecting a process of textual evolution and enrichment. This legacy transitioned to papyrus scrolls during the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE), particularly from the mid-Eighteenth Dynasty onward (c. 1550–1425 BCE), where hieratic or cursive hieroglyphic inscriptions on rolls replaced coffin interiors, enabling broader dissemination among non-elites. Beyond direct derivations, the Coffin Texts popularized the concept of personal agency in the , empowering individuals to achieve transfiguration as a glorified spirit (akh) and assimilate with deities through magical spells, a theme amplified in the and extending to New Kingdom underworld compositions like the . In these later texts, the deceased's active navigation of the —overcoming obstacles and invoking divine aid—echoed Coffin Texts motifs of individual empowerment, with vignettes and spells coexisting alongside scenes in private and converging in the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1070–664 BCE). The Osirian initiated in the Coffin Texts, emphasizing judgment by and eternal union with him, persisted and intensified in Late Period texts (c. 664–332 BCE), where private individuals adopted Osirian titles and rituals, such as being "the praised one who is in Osiris," in funerary papyri and reliefs. Elements of the Coffin Texts tradition spread culturally beyond Egypt proper, influencing Nubian and Ptolemaic burial practices through the 's adaptations. During the Twenty-fifth (Nubian) Dynasty (c. 744–656 BCE), the texts were formalized in Theban workshops, incorporating Nubian motifs like those in spell 164, which blended local elements with Osirian theology. In the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 BCE), the Saite recension standardized these spells on papyri and linen for diverse populations, extending the democratized agency to Nubian elites and Greco-Egyptian contexts in burials at sites like and Thebes.

Interpretations in Egyptology

In , the Coffin Texts are interpreted as marking a significant religious shift from the elite, solar-focused theology of the Old Kingdom's to a more inclusive Osirian framework emphasizing personal salvation and for non-royals. This reflects the Middle Kingdom's broadening of access, where spells invoke as a savior figure promising renewal to the deceased, contrasting with the pharaoh-centric solar cycles of earlier traditions. Scholars monotheistic or henotheistic tendencies in certain spells, such as CT 35, a to the creator god portraying a singular, ineffable divine entity akin to or Amun-Ra as the origin of all, suggesting undertones of a unified cosmic force amid . Culturally, the texts mirror Middle Kingdom social dynamics, including rising mobility among nomarchs and a nascent , as evidenced by their adaptation for non-elite coffin owners who sought to secure eternal life previously reserved for royalty. This expansion reveals underlying anxieties about exclusion, with spells addressing fears of through protective invocations and transformations to ensure sustenance and judgment success. Feminist interpretations highlight in female-owned coffins, where spells adapt pronouns and identifications—such as treating with feminine forms or allowing women to assume masculine regenerative roles—indicating a non-binary identity that empowered female agency in mortuary contexts. Ongoing debates center on the texts' role in Egyptian cosmology, particularly motifs of chaos (Nun) versus order (), where spells depict the deceased navigating primordial waters and restoring cosmic balance to avert dissolution. Recent applications of , including the Text Mining the Coffin Texts (TM-CT) project since 2024, employ AI-driven neural networks and to analyze spell variants and patterns, revealing variability in transmission and enhancing understandings of thematic evolution without relying on traditional alone.

References

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  18. https://nickyvandebeek.com/projects/coffin-texts/
  19. https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004442825/BP000008.xml
  20. https://www.nature.com/articles/s40494-023-01076-2
  21. https://egyptiancoffins.org/
  22. https://www.academia.edu/36175311/The_Texts_on_Egyptian_Middle_Kingdom_Coffins
  23. https://isac.uchicago.edu/research/publications/oip/egyptian-coffin-texts-1-texts-spells-1-75
  24. https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/2002779/1/LandborgAnn_Feb2014.pdf
  25. https://archive.org/stream/TheAncientEgyptianCoffin1/he%20ancient%20Egyptian%20coffin%20texts2_djvu.txt
  26. https://archive.org/stream/TheAncientEgyptianCoffin1/The%20ancient%20Egyptian%20coffin1_djvu.txt
  27. https://abgad.journals.ekb.eg/article_55499_1cf4ad56f138fdf3ec075ba6942ad6cb.pdf
  28. https://www.jstor.org/stable/600442
  29. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388798603_The_Idea_of_the_Unknown_God_in_Ancient_Egyptian_Religion
  30. https://lsa.umich.edu/content/dam/kelsey-assets/kelsey-publications/pdfs/life-death-and-afterlife.pdf
  31. https://www.glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2021/7/13/ancient-egyptian-creation-myths-from-watery-chaos-to-cosmic-egg
  32. https://www.academia.edu/119680852/Text_Mining_the_Coffin_Texts_TM_CT_project_2024_2026_
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