Coffin fragment

2 minutes to read

Object name: Coffin fragment

Accession no.: E.W.66b

Other numbers and markings: “W.66” in ink

Dimensions: H 0.07 m

W 0.034 m

D 0.724 m

Brief description:

Fragment from the proper left (east side) of the coffin of the master physician, Wepwawetemhat (meaning ‘Wepwawet is at the front’) showing a man dragging a cow and ibex. As is common with coffins of this type, there are four columns of text next to the scenes, including two hetep-di-nswt formulas.

With E.W.66a, thesee are two relatively small coffin boards. They present the remains of scenes in the middle and text columns at the sides. All hieroglyphs and figures are looking to the right. Both boards therefore come from the left (east) side of a coffin. On both fragments are always four text columns next to the scenes. The line on a belong to two hetep-di-n formula common on coffins found at Asyut: Htp di n ra-itmw Hna Drt.f (an offering given to Ra-Atum and his hand) and Htp di n gb Hna nwt (an offering given to Geb and Nut). The next column block seems to consist of imahy xr formulae including the name and title of the coffin owner.

The coffin owner has the name Wepwawetemhat, which was especially popular at Asyut in the Middle Kingdom. He bears the title ‘greatest of the physicians’. There are many coffins and coffin fragments known from Asyut, but only a few of them bear titles. Interestingly there is in the Museum of Tanta a coffin of a certain Wepay with the same title. Wepay might be the abbreviation of Wepwawetemhat and both coffins might belong to the same person. However, this is only a guess.

S 7 - imi-r aHa (overseer of ships) idi

S51 – imi-r pr (steward) Hny

S36ab – HAti-a imi-r Hmw-nTr (mayor, overseer of priests) msHti

S47a imi-r xtmt (treasurer) nxt

S47b imi-r aHa (overseer of ships), imi-r xwit (overseer of the chapel) nxt

S45, 46ab imi-r xtmt (treasurer) nxt

S24 wr swnw (master physician) WpAy

imi-r xtmt (treasurer) Wp-wAiwt-nxt

The plank is made from a tangentially cut piece of wood, the grain running along the length. There are six dowel holes in the plank, three of which still contain wooden dowels. The back and long sides of the panel are coated with an irregular layer of white and yellow calcite paste. The lower sides also have a layer of reddish materials over the paste, possibly animal glue.

The external face is coated with a fine white calcite preparation layer. A red under-drawing is visible around the decorative elements. These are illustrated with green, blue (Egyptian Blue), brown and red and overlain by a black outline. The kilt of the standing figure is filled with white calcite pigment that overlies the red outlining.

This fragment joins with