埃及萨卡拉新出土彩绘人形木棺解读

本研究对埃及萨卡拉新出土的十具有代表性的彩绘人形木棺进行铭文解读、样式和装饰图案的分析,以期为古埃及木棺的类型学研究提供新的材料。作为迄今为止埃及出土的最大规模的窖藏墓,其中埋葬的上千个保存完好的彩绘木棺的陆续整理发表,将对以往以底比斯木棺样本为核心建立的类型学研究提出重大的挑战。 2024年7月19日,上海博物馆策划的“金字塔之巅:古埃及文明大展”开幕,展览的一大亮点是首次系统公布埃及考古队近十年在萨卡拉地区自主考古取得的重大发现,这也是这批文物的全球首展。本研究将对其中尚未发表的十具彩绘人形木棺进行解读和分析。 2020年以来,埃及国家文物局考古队在萨卡拉地区(埃及古代都城孟菲斯墓区)北区陆续发掘出土了一批重要墓葬和神庙遗址,其中包括一座罕见的巴斯泰特神庙遗址。在该神庙东部发现了两座深12 m石灰岩悬崖竖井墓,编号为64号、65号,年代为公元前8世纪,地下墓室里存储有近千具完整的彩绘木棺。此外,还发现了古埃及最大的动物木乃伊墓地和最完整的制作木乃伊的作坊,并出土了大量朱鹭、鹰、狒狒和圣母牛的木乃伊,特别是首次发现了蛇、蜣螂、幼狮等稀有的动物木乃伊。这批新出土的文物为研究古埃及墓葬习俗、来世信仰及社会发展状况提供了珍贵的一手资料。

Unveiling ancient Egyptian treasures:anthropoid coffins discoveries at the Bubasteion in Saqqara

From 2018 until today, the Egyptian mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Egyptian/Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has been working in the sacred animal cemetery of the Bubasteion in Saqqara. This site is considered the most important part of the ancient necropolis of Memphis and is included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. One noteworthy feature of the site is the Temple of the Cat Goddess Bastet, which dates to the Late Period of ancient Egypt. Over the past few seasons, this Egyptian mission has made remarkable discoveries that have captivated the world. Here is a list of some important discoveries made by the mission. -Old Kingdom tombs:including tomb of Wahty, tomb of Nyheswtba;  -Cache of Animal Mummies:including cats, mongooses, crocodiles, snakes and lion cubs, (discovered for the first time) along with wooden and bronze statues representing these animals;  -Mummification Workshops: discovery of two workshops dedicated to the mummification of animals and humans, featuring beds, tools, vessels and embalming materials, etc. Among all these discoveries, the most significant one is the approximately 1 000 well-preserved, well-painted Anthropoid Wooden Coffins from the Late Period, containing mummified remains and treasures. They were discovered from the shafts near the Old Kingdom tombs. These shafts are rectangular, measuring 1.20-1.40 m in length × 1 m in width and the depth ranges between 9 m and 14 m. Each shaft ends with a burial chamber with multiple niches. Inside these burial chambers about 1000 wooden anthropoid coffins have been found up to the present. Ten coffins will be displayed in the exhibition of Shanghai Museum named “On Top of the Pyramid:The Civilization of Ancient Egypt” from July 2024. This paper will be the first publication of these new discovered coffins. Among these ten coffins, seven have owners’ names, two have Chapter 72 of Book of the Dead, and one has Pyramid Text: 〖XC薛江文C.tif；%95%95〗〖XC薛江文C1.tif；%95%95〗 The most significant feature of the study of these newly discovered Saqqara coffins is its relationship to typology and chronology. Before this discovery, the majority of Late Period coffins produced in Northern Egypt were long neglected in studies of ancient Egyptian coffins, since many of them lack archaeological context and proper documentation and are distributed in different collections. The present coffin typology and chronology are mainly based on Theban specimens. It is far from certain if they can be applied to the whole of Egypt. Instead of following the pattern-books built by Taylor and other scholars, it is more important to identify the texts, shape, iconography, layout and color scheme of these coffins based on the local background especially the Late Period archaism movement, when Saqqara became the sacred centre of the whole country.