Material: Painted Sycamore Fig Wood
Third Intermediate Period, Dynasty XXI
Dated: c. 900-940 BCE
The inside of the Merrin Gallery's sarcophagus is painted with various scenes in beautifully preserved colors. Who is the central figure?
The kneeling, praying figure in the top-right is labeled in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs which translate to “Lord of the House of the Ruler, in order to praise”.
On the left side under the falcon, the kneeling male deity boasts the “West” sign on his head, labeled in the hieroglyph for “Ba” (soul).
Below, a small sphinx is depicted and the hieroglyphic text below it (above the god Anubis) reads, “Anubis, Lord of the Cemetery, Foremost in the God’s Booth, First Lector Priest in the Place of Truth, Great God, Lord of Heaven, the Skilled One”.
The larger hieroglyphs in front of the Anubis read, “Garments and alabaster vessels, it for Osiris”.
The black-colored, couchant Anubis to the right is labeled “Input” (the female Anubis, the goddess Anput - in fact, she was the wife of Anubis) in a scrambled quasi-cryptogram. The shrine upon which Input sits is labeled “Excellent Bas”.