The Sarcophagus

---

The funeral receptacles can be divided into two main types: the coffins and sarcophagi:
1- Coffins were invented as early as the Dynastic Period and were made of several materials (such as basketworks and wood) . Later , they were covered with plaster and paintings , and then they were developed into anthropomorphic (human-shaped) coffins inscribed with coffin texts .
2-The other type of receptacles is sarcophagus which was used to place the coffin inside it . The sarcophagi were invented as early as early the Old Kingdom , beginning from the Third Dynasty , in the reign of Djoser . Sarcophagi were made out of stone , such as alabaster , granite , or limestone . However , the sarcophagi did not have as much inscriptions as coffins . Instead , they were inscribed merely with the name and titles of the deceased .
It is worth mentioning that the word 'sarcophagus' is an Ancient Greek word . Greeks also were used to preserve their dead bodies inside receptacles made of stone . When the Greeks found that the bodies decompose , they thought stone was the reason . This made them call it the eater of the flesh . When they came to Egypt , however , they found that the Ancient Egyptians also were burying their dead inside receptacles made of stone . Thus , thinking it was made of the same stone , they called it 'Sarcophagi' .
The names of the sarcophagi in Ancient Egypt:
1-The sarcophagus was mentioned in texts dating to the Old Kingdom as (bn n cnhw) , which means 'the Stone of Life' .
2- In other eras , it was also given the name of (pr cnhw) , which means 'the House of the Living' .
3-It was also called (Mn cnhw) , which means 'the Living Monument' .
From the above-mentioned names , one can deduce that these sarcophagi were not only receptacles to protect the body of the deceased , but they were also the house where the KA is believed to reside until the afterlife . That is why one always finds windows and a false door on the sides of the sarcophagi . This is because the Ancient Egyptians believed they were to allow the communication between this life and the afterlife .
There are two major functions of the sarcophagus:
1-It was intended to protect the body of the deceased from being destroyed .
2-It was the house of eternity where the KA should reside till the afterlife .