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Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom
This thesis examines depictions of twenty-three owners’ “black”-type coffins depicted in tomb wall paintings from eleven Theban tombs and on eight Theban papyri dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the early Twenty-first Dynasty. Four research methods are employed: descriptive, analytical, comparat...
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2026
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| _version_ | 1867613425580900352 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Chen, Yunyao |
| author_browse | Chen, Yunyao |
| author_facet | Chen, Yunyao |
| author_sort | Chen, Yunyao |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This thesis examines depictions of twenty-three owners’ “black”-type coffins depicted in tomb wall paintings from eleven Theban tombs and on eight Theban papyri dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the early Twenty-first Dynasty. Four research methods are employed: descriptive, analytical, comparative, and contextual. First, a stylistic and iconographic analysis identifies four phases in the evolution of the “black”-type coffins depicted in the funerary art and explores the factors that influenced these representations by comparing them with actual “black”-type coffins and relevant artistic representations. The results indicate that the representations of “black”-type coffins feature a distinct evolution pattern, which is based on decorative patterns of actual coffins but also influenced by other factors. Second, the thesis examines funerary scenes in which “black”-type coffins appear, including workshop scenes, coffin transportation, the Opening of the Mouth ritual, and the Book of the Dead. It investigates functions and roles of “black”-type coffins in these scenes. In general, the “black”-type coffins serve primarily as body containers. They also serve as substitutes for the deceased, which are similar to other anthropoid coffins and mummiform figures of the deceased. Third, the representations of “black”-type coffins are contextualized within the broader funerary culture through textual, artistic, and material evidence to explore the possible ritual use of actual anthropoid coffins. Lastly, all representations of “black”-type coffins considered in this thesis are described in detail in Appendix I with a brief introduction to their owners and sources. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3630 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:35:56.457Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-3630 Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom Chen, Yunyao This thesis examines depictions of twenty-three owners’ “black”-type coffins depicted in tomb wall paintings from eleven Theban tombs and on eight Theban papyri dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the early Twenty-first Dynasty. Four research methods are employed: descriptive, analytical, comparative, and contextual. First, a stylistic and iconographic analysis identifies four phases in the evolution of the “black”-type coffins depicted in the funerary art and explores the factors that influenced these representations by comparing them with actual “black”-type coffins and relevant artistic representations. The results indicate that the representations of “black”-type coffins feature a distinct evolution pattern, which is based on decorative patterns of actual coffins but also influenced by other factors. Second, the thesis examines funerary scenes in which “black”-type coffins appear, including workshop scenes, coffin transportation, the Opening of the Mouth ritual, and the Book of the Dead. It investigates functions and roles of “black”-type coffins in these scenes. In general, the “black”-type coffins serve primarily as body containers. They also serve as substitutes for the deceased, which are similar to other anthropoid coffins and mummiform figures of the deceased. Third, the representations of “black”-type coffins are contextualized within the broader funerary culture through textual, artistic, and material evidence to explore the possible ritual use of actual anthropoid coffins. Lastly, all representations of “black”-type coffins considered in this thesis are described in detail in Appendix I with a brief introduction to their owners and sources. 2026-01-31T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2576 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3630/viewcontent/Yunyao_Chen_Thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain New Kingdom “black”-type coffin anthropoid coffin mummiform figure artistic feature representations two-dimensional art Opening of the Mouth ritual Thebes Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture |
| spellingShingle | New Kingdom “black”-type coffin anthropoid coffin mummiform figure artistic feature representations two-dimensional art Opening of the Mouth ritual Thebes Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Chen, Yunyao Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title | Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title_full | Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title_fullStr | Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title_full_unstemmed | Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title_short | Representations of "Black"-type Coffins in the New Kingdom |
| title_sort | representations of black type coffins in the new kingdom |
| topic | New Kingdom “black”-type coffin anthropoid coffin mummiform figure artistic feature representations two-dimensional art Opening of the Mouth ritual Thebes Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2576 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/3630/viewcontent/Yunyao_Chen_Thesis.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chenyunyao representationsofblacktypecoffinsinthenewkingdom |