14 | Haytemhat's coffin

This is the coffin of Haytemhat, a wealthy woman who lived during the 26th Dynasty of the Late Period, around the 7th or 6th Century BCE.

This period is known for its exquisite art and its adaptation of the more traditional style of art from Egypt’s deep past.

The level of detail and care taken in creating this wooden coffin are simply stunning.

The neatly carved and painted features of Haytemhat’s head and wig emerge from the coffin, her kohl-lined eyes gazing at us with intensity.

She has a large colourful collar that protects her heart.

It is decorated with floral motifs, rosettes and lotus blossoms that embody new life, with each of its ends adorned with the sun disc and falcon head of the god Re-Horakhty, the rising reborn sun god.

Directly below the collar is the sky goddess Nut who spreads her wings to offer Haytemhat protection on her voyage to the afterlife.

Notice her intricate dress and how it is patterned with the stars of Nut, of the sky.

Beyond the edges of Nut’s wings are columns of hieroglyphs that distinguish two figures on either side.

They are the Four Sons of Horus, the protectors of Haytemhat’s organs.

To your left are the human-headed Imsety, protector of the liver, and the jackal-headed Duamutef, protector of the stomach.

To your right are the baboon-headed Hapi, protector of the lungs, and the falcon-headed Qebehsenuef, protector of the intestines.

They are joined by other divinities in the panels below.

Each has a spell that offers additional protection to Haytemhat to help guarantee her eternal life.

See if you can identify some of these divinities.

There is the ibis-headed figure of Thoth, the god of knowledge and writing.

Can you spot the jackal-headed god, Anubis, the god of mummification and embalming?

He is joined by the many different manifestations of the falcon-headed god, Horus.

Below these figures, in the very last panel at the bottom, is a repeated motif of a creature resting on a structure.

See its jackal head? This creature is the animal form of Anubis, who is here shown in his role as protector of the structure beneath him that represents the tomb or the cemetery.

Moving to the back of the coffin, you can see four columns of beautifully and neatly coloured hieroglyphs that further ensure that Haytemhat will enjoy a safe and pleasant afterlife.

The glyphs are headed by a crowned falcon on its stand, the symbol of the west, the realm of the setting sun, and the realm of the dead.